


Nevermind What You're Looking For

by silvercrystals



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/F, F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-11-08 01:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17971880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvercrystals/pseuds/silvercrystals
Summary: You know the story: a young woman sets off on her own for the first time to a new city beneath ancient ruins, looking for the chance to learn and prove herself. When she finds herself falling for Arlo, the handsome Civil Corps captain, they'll both have to grapple with what it means to explore, build, and love in the post-Darkness world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be my only note at the beginning so I don’t bother you all while you’re reading. ;) This is my first ever piece of fanfiction or fiction in general! I’m excited to contribute to this baby gem of a fandom. Parts of the story are loosely based on in-game events (with lots of artistic interpretation thrown in), so be warned, there may be spoilers if you haven’t played through the game fully yet. This story isn’t finished but I have 10 chapters written so far (so I will not leave you hanging!) and I’ll be posting them as my beta finishes editing them. 
> 
> Also, I made a playlist for this work which is a mix of songs I've been listening to while I write and songs I thought fit the situations and characters. I'll probably keep adding to it and tweaking it. You can listen here: https://spoti.fi/2XHPeS6
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Lin stood at the bow of a small ship and watched the details of the shore grow larger and clearer. She inhaled the tangy, invigorating air, savoring the feeling of the ocean wind on her skin. These were the final few moments of her journey, the last minutes she could imagine whatever she liked about how her new life in Portia would pan out. Lately, these fantasies involved her achieving the rank of master builder as her long-absent Pa had. She pictured herself shaking hands with the mayor, standing in front of a plane she'd built, or perhaps something more practical–a giant windmill or hydroelectric dam. “Lin,” he'd say, “we were all a little skeptical when you took over your father's workshop. Big shoes to fill, and all. But in the end, you've surpassed him! And so young, too!”

The stout, bearded boat captain shouted something over the roaring wind, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Sorry?" She whirled around to look at him.

"What brings you to Portia? Ruin diving?"

"Uhh, something like that," she yelled back, smiling a little awkwardly. She didn’t really have the energy to shout her life story at the man over the wind.

"We get a lot of young tourists like yourself coming here to dive. Find a lot of interesting things in the Portia ruins!"

Lin smiled and nodded, pushing aside tendrils of hair that blew across her eyes and mouth. When he said nothing else, she turned back toward the bright shapes of Portia before her.

The city ahead was a sight to behold. The towering ruins of ancient skyscrapers stretched across the skyline. Nature was doing its best to reclaim the enormous glass and metal structures, all of which were topped and draped with greenery. Tucked beneath the ruins, Lin could make out buildings of a more modern and familiar construction, houses and shops with red and blue roofs and glimpses of distant cobblestone streets all nestled in the hillsides. In between the harbor and the city were vibrant green fields dotted with pink creatures she couldn't quite identify.

As they approached the harbor, Lin checked again that her backpack was done up and everything was in its place. The boat shuddered as it docked and she hefted the backpack onto her shoulders, securing the waist strap tightly. She exhaled intently.

"Hello there! You must be Linda. Welcome to Portia!"

A middle-aged man with a small mustache and gleaming round glasses waved at her as she exited the boat with her meager belongings. Wanting to make a good impression, she forced a weary smile.

"Hello! Yes, I am. You can call me Lin."

The man introduced himself as Presley, a friend of her Pa's. He seemed nice enough. With no small trace of bitterness, she wondered how many people in this town knew her father better than she did. Presley escorted her up a sloping hill to her new dwelling, just outside of the city proper.

Lin took in more of the scenery as they walked. She'd never been anywhere quite so green or hilly; Barnarock's landscape was mostly stony, flat scrubland. She realized the pink dots she'd seen from the boat were some kind of llama and couldn’t help but laugh in delight at the odd creatures. The llamas frolicked bouncily away from the pair if they got too close.

Near the crest of the hill and just outside the wide stone arches of Portia, Presley stopped. They were standing in front of a wide, fenced yard with a small, shambling home constructed on one side.

"This is all yours, dear. Your Pa's old workshop."

Lin felt a swell of excitement and relief standing before the house–well, shack, really–that she would now call home. She loved it immediately. It didn't matter to her that it was patched up and probably drafty, it was a place of her own. She felt sure she could fix it up and make it cozy. And more immediately, she couldn't wait to get inside and fall asleep.

As she took in her new place, Presley was inundating her with information about the Portia Guild of Commerce and the bureaucratic elements of registering her new workshop. Lin made a valiant effort to absorb the details, vaguely recalling a saying about trying to drink water from a firehose. She did her best to make eye contact and nod at the appropriate times. Eventually, Presley bade her farewell and headed into the city.

Lin made a beeline for her new home. The door creaked as she swung it open, and she made a mental note to oil the hinges later. The late-day sunlight shone in diagonal streaks through the windows, haloing around falling dust motes. The place smelled like pine, dust, and old books. She noticed a shelf of them along the wall. Her father’s books. A small bed rested in the corner, and she immediately slumped onto it, backpack falling off her shoulders and sliding to the floor. She lay back, staring at the sky through a small hole in the roof, and fell almost immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  


* * *

  
The next afternoon, Lin set out to find the Portia Commerce Guild. She wanted to get a head start on completing the nitty-gritty deals of registering her new workshop. Her funds were scarce and the sooner she could start taking commissions, the better. She was relieved to find Presley's familiar face in the echoing marble of the Commerce Guild headquarters.

"Good day, Lin! Are you settling in okay?"

"Yes, quite well, thank you. I was just happy to sleep in a real bed instead of a cot on a ship."

"Understandable," he chuckled. "Now, if I can just get you to sign a few forms, we can get you registered as a new workshop." Presley squinted his eyes and shuffled his papers, laying them out one by one and gesturing toward the places for her to sign and initial on each form. He explained the commission and workshop ranking systems as she penned her name repeatedly, signature becoming a bit more illegible each time.

"Alright, that should be all!" He took the final paper from her, adding it to the bottom of his pile. "Now, as I mentioned, we usually run our commissions system on a first-come-first-serve basis, but I saved something for you just to help you get started here in town." Presley shuffled through his stack of papers again and his eyes brightened as he found what he was looking for.

Lin's heart leapt with warmth and gratitude as he handed the page to her, and she reached out to take it. Suddenly, a thin man with sleek black hair and a rather sour face snatched the paper from right beneath her nose.

"Playing favorites, Presley? Really?"

The warmth Lin had felt was replaced with shock. Presley's eyes narrowed and he pounded a fist on his desk. "Damn it, Higgins! You already took one today."

Higgins rolled his eyes and walked away, waving the paper in dismissal. "There are enough commissions to go around. Good day!"

Presley scowled in irritation, watching the man leave. "Lin, I'm so sorry. That's Higgins, owner of the top-ranked workshop in the city. For now. Brilliant builder and a hard worker, but I don't always like the way he does business." Presley peeked through his stack of papers. "I'm sorry, but that was the last commission we had for the week since we don't post any on the weekend. I suppose you can take a few days to settle in and come back on Monday mor–"

Presley was interrupted by the door of the Commerce Guild bursting open as if kicked in. Lin jumped and turned to look. She was briefly blinded by the sunlight in the doorway and shielded her eyes with a forearm. Silhouetted in the entryway was an imposingly tall figure.

"Yo Pres, I've got a commission for you."

The figure stepped forward and Lin blinked as her eyes re-adjusted. She felt her mouth dry up as she took in the interrupting stranger. The man stood a full head taller than her. He bore the tell-tale uniform of the Civil Corps, adorned with various practical straps and holsters. Tied around his neck was a blue scarf embroidered with the infamous Flying Pigs logo. His hair was a wavy, blazing red and his eyes shone in a contrasting luminous blue. He carried himself with a relaxed confidence but looked slightly surprised at the sight of the newcomer.

Lin was suddenly hyper-aware of herself. Her hair was twisted into a messy bun and had not been properly washed since she arrived in Portia, and her shabby clothes bore the marks of time spent that morning gathering supplies for future building projects.

"Oh, hello," he offered a hand, unsmiling. "I'm Arlo, Captain of the local Civil Corps. You are?"

She reached out to take his hand. His grip was strong and his palm callused. His hand enveloped hers and she did her best to match his grip with a firm handshake.

Presley answered before she could get a word out. "Arlo, perfect timing! This is Lin, our new builder! Maurice's daughter. What's the commission?"

The man's eyes widened slightly and he nodded in recognition as he released her hand. Lin released a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. "Gale wants to build a bridge to Amber Island."

"Oh, he finally put up the funds for it, then? About time, honestly. This is great, we were just trying to find a project to help Lin get off the ground. Lin, what do you say?"

She felt a bud of anxiety blooming in her chest. Her fantasies of becoming a master builder suddenly felt far away and childlike. An entire bridge for her first project? Sure, she was handy and had shown a knack for creative building solutions so far–thus agreeing to take over her Pa's old workshop in the first place while her wealthier friends headed to university in Vega 5 and Atara. Still, she anticipated starting with something like furniture, not entire public works projects. She'd certainly never built anything that large before. She felt the weight of her Pa's legacy settle heavily on her shoulders.

Presley must have sensed her trepidation. "Don't worry, I believe your father left detailed instructions and diagrams for a very similar project in his builder's handbook. It's still in your house."

This did quell her fears somewhat–at least she wouldn't have to design the project herself. And it would probably pay well.

"Yeah, sounds great. I'll get started right away." She smiled, trying to summon a confidence she didn't feel.

Presley clapped his hands once. "Excellent, excellent!"

Arlo nodded his satisfaction with this arrangement and headed back toward the door. He looked back toward them. "Lin, come outside, I'll introduce you to the rest of the Corps."

She said goodbye to Presley and followed Arlo out to Peach Plaza. Just outside were a man and a woman on horseback and a lone third horse that must have been Arlo's.

"Sam, Remington, this is Lin, she's the new builder. She's taking on the Amber Island project."

Lin looked up at them on their mounts. The Portia Civil Corps members were all quite stunning, individually and as a unit. Was it the benefits of fresh air and exercise? Was everyone in Portia this attractive? Remington was a tall, dark-skinned man with broad shoulders, high cheekbones, and a wide smile. Also, bright green hair that suited him somehow. He lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello there Lin, welcome to Portia! Please let us know if you ever need anything or if you run into any trouble. We'll do our best to help." He had a silky baritone voice that put her immediately at ease.

The woman on the other horse was tall and lean with golden skin from time spent outdoors. Short blonde hair fell in wisps around her heart-shaped face. She regarded Lin with sparkling blue eyes. "Hey!” She tilted her head toward Remington. “What he said. Also, hope our Captain here hasn’t scared you off from talking to us, he's not usually the Corps' welcoming committee."

"Hey, watch it." Arlo turned back to Lin. "It's been a pleasure to meet you. No funny business and I'm sure we'll get along great, yeah?"

Lin raised her eyebrows, wondering if something about her indicated the possibility of funny business.

"Jeez Arlo, way to prove my point!" Sam called from above.

"Yes, sir. No funny business here, Captain." Lin grinned and gave a small salute. She heard Sam snicker.

Arlo nodded, not amused. "We've got to get back to our patrols. See you around." He swung onto his horse and there was the sound of clopping hooves as the Corps eased their way up the hill towards the ruins.

Lin blushed, feeling a bit stupid. She tried to shrug off the feeling as she headed back to the workshop.  
  


* * *

  
Lin spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and organizing her new home. She would start on the bridge project tomorrow, she decided. Having a tidy space was definitely necessary and not just a way to procrastinate on the overwhelming new commission, she insisted to herself.

She organized her small collection of tools near the workshop table outside before moving indoors. After patching up a few holes in the wooden floor, she aggressively swept and mopped, dusted the shelves and cupboards, and wiped the grime from the windows. She unpacked her backpack and folded her clothes, placing them in the small chest of drawers near the bed.

When she had done all she could, she stood and evaluated the small space. She definitely felt better now that it was cleaner and less drafty, but it was still missing something. Maybe a splash of color? She decided to wander the fields near her home to collect some wildflowers. She'd found a few empty jars around the house that would serve the purpose well.

Outside, the sun was just beginning to tinge the sky with deep pink streaks. Lin felt her breath catch in her throat at the way the light shimmered across the green fields. The wind blew across the grass in waves that made it look like a soft, rolling ocean. The world was quiet except for the whisper of the breeze in the trees and the distant sound of farm animals. If she focused, Lin could almost make out the sound of the real waves on Portia's shoreline. She felt a rush of gratitude towards her father in this moment. While she doubted they would ever have a normal father-daughter relationship–or perhaps any kind of relationship at all–she realized there was something special about this place he had wanted to share with her.

Nearby, the brightly-colored llamas grazed leisurely or napped in small clumps of bushes. She took their lead and wandered along lazily, picking berries, useful herbs, and small flowers. After a while, she took a break and sat cross-legged with her back to the Portia wall, setting her armful of greenery beside her. She decided to use some of her flowers to make a flower crown, an old habit from childhood. She focused on the familiar, calming process of weaving the delicate stems together and lost track of time as the sun began to fall behind the sea. Once she was satisfied with her work, she placed the crown on her head and adjusted her hair beneath it.

She looked up from her very-important work to find a newly-familiar face. Arlo, the surly Civil Corps leader, stood so close in the waning light that she was surprised she hadn't noticed his approach. "Oh! Hi! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Apologies, didn't mean to startle you," he said. "I was heading home and I saw you here, just wanted to see how you're settling in. If you needed anything." He scratched the nape of his neck.

Lin felt warmth rush to her face, both at the idea he would come to check in on her and at the realization she was wearing a flower crown and it was definitely too late to surreptitiously snatch it off of her head. Instinctively, her hand reached up to the crown anyway, but she adjusted the flowers instead. "I'm doing great. Um, I spent today organizing and studying the diagrams, and I'm starting on the bridge first thing tomorrow." She looked up guiltily, as if caught procrastinating on school homework.

Arlo chuckled and held up his hands. "No pressure. You just got here, I’m sure you have a lot to get in order. Anyway, please do let me know if anything comes up that I might help with. Despite what Sam might have you think, I don't bite."

Lin smiled up at him. "No worries, Arlo. I really appreciate it. Thanks for checking on me."

"Right," he said. "I'll be headed back to base, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She watched him walk away until he blended into the darkness.

That night, Lin lay in bed trying to process the last 24 hours. It was all so much to take in. Her thoughts repeatedly circled back to the red-haired man who had stopped by to make sure she was okay. She thought of what his colleague Sam had said about him, and decided he had just been trying to prove her wrong. It was important for the Civil Corps to have a good relationship with civilians, after all. Satisfied with this explanation, she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a dazzlingly bright spring day and Lin sat in the yard hunched over her father's handbook. Sprawled around her were diagrams, tools, and pieces of scrap wood she had gathered in the woods near her new home. She sighed contentedly. She had been pleased to find that Presley was right about her father leaving the bridge diagram in his former home. In fact, he had also left helpful diagrams for all of the bridge's sub-parts and other helpful pieces of machinery. She found that once the process was broken down into smaller bits, it was downright doable. She might be able to pull this off after all. 

Lin looked up and noticed a young woman approaching her little yard. The woman waved and smiled as they made eye contact. She had long strawberry blonde hair woven into a loose braid and was wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt, dirty jeans, and even muddier work boots. She carried a large picnic basket that wasn't entirely closed, sundry items poking out of its flaps. 

"Hello!" the woman called out cheerfully. "Mind if I come in for a minute?" 

"Hi there, of course." Lin smiled in return. 

She set the large basket down with a thump just on the inside of the gate and wiped her brow with a flannel sleeve. "Thanks! My name is Emily, I wanted to come introduce myself and bring you a few things to welcome you to the city."

"That's so kind of you, I really appreciate it. I'm Lin." 

"Nice to meet you, Lin. You're so welcome. I live just across the field over yonder." Emily gestured at the sea of wheat across the road. "It's my grandma Sophie's farm, but she's getting up there in years, so I do a lot of the managing and work these days." 

"What kind of things do you grow?" 

"We have a variety of seasonal crops, plus chickens, cows, and sheep." Emily absently counted these off on her fingers. 

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work for two people.”

"True, but I really love it, especially working with the animals, so it doesn't feel like work most days." She smiled again. "Anyway, I see you're in the middle of something, so I won't keep you. I threw a bunch of stuff from the farm in there, please enjoy."

Lin beamed at the farmer. Honestly, she'd planned on subsisting mostly on bread from the local bakery until she finished this commission. Eating food from Sophie’s farm seemed like a much better option. 

Emily gestured to the basket. "If you could bring that back when you're done, I'd appreciate it." 

"Sure thing! Thanks so much again. Bye Emily." 

Emily waved and set back toward the farm. Lin watched her disappear into the wheat field.

  


* * *

  


"Lin, this looks excellent! I am very pleased." 

"Thanks much, Mr. Mayor." 

Lin was feeling pretty pleased herself, if she was being honest. A few weeks had passed, and they were standing on the newly-built Amber Island bridge, which she had finished installing the previous day. It was no hydroelectric dam, but it was a start. They had already taken several experimental trips back and forth across the structure, testing its stability. Now, she leaned over the railing and watched a few catfish circle each other lazily. 

"You know, if you want, I have another commission for you." 

Lin perked up. Another city commission, so soon? "Wow, okay. What is it?" 

"Well, you see, I wanted this bridge built because I have an end-goal of making the cave on Amber Island a tourist attraction of some sort. There's an old generator somewhere inside but it needs a battery to work. The scientists at the research center can give you the diagram for the battery if you're interested." 

"Yes, definitely," Lin said without fully processing the idea. This would be another completely new project for her, but she decided she wasn't going to turn down any important commissions while she was still building her reputation in town. 

He seemed a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. "Alright then, very good! You know what, I'll just head to the research center now and tell them to mail you the diagram, you'll get it in a few days." 

Lin nodded. "Thanks for the opportunity!"

  


* * *

  


Building the battery took much less time than the bridge thanks to its smaller size and the thorough instructions from the women at the Research Center. A week later, Lin was standing nervously at the entrance of the Amber Island Cave with the battery under one arm, wearing her tools on a sturdy belt that hung around her waist. She also wore a headlamp which sliced a beam of light into the cave's darkness. 

Now, the fun part–she had to enter the cave and find the generator, then install the battery and see if the old thing would even start up. The Civil Corps had assured her they'd swept the cave and it wasn't dangerous, both in the sense of spelunking difficulty and lack of ancient murderous entities and relics. Still, it was a dark, damp cave with local rumors of hauntings and she was going in on her own. She cursed herself for turning down the offer of a Civil Corps escort, not wanting to seem weak in front of the handsome captain and the other corps members. 

"Here goes nothing," Lin mumbled to herself. 

The terrain of the cave was fairly flat, and the ceiling was quite high. A number of sharp stalactites loomed threateningly overhead. She passed through the entrance room and into a kind of hallway that had clearly been widened for human use at some point. 

There was other evidence of human occupation throughout the cave too–bits of rope, narrow boarded-up side tunnels, and rusty hanging lanterns overhead that were fitted with relic incandescent light bulbs. Lin wondered how many centuries it had been since they were lit up. As she moved deeper into the cave, these ancient remains grew more sparse and the winding hallways between the natural cave rooms grew narrower and more claustrophobic, as if whoever was digging out the cave had grown lazy. 

Finally, Lin came to a large room with no side tunnels. Along the back wall was a metal device connected to tubing that snaked along the wall and ceiling in several directions. She assumed this was the generator. She examined it from several angles, noticing an indentation on one side of the machine that matched the size and general shape of the battery. She must be on the right track. She fit the battery inside and secured it tightly, then connected the machine’s ancient wires to several ports in the battery.

Lin stood back. Everything seemed to be in place, so this was the moment of truth. She approached the central lever on the metal contraption, grabbed it with both hands, and pulled. 

Nothing happened. 

Then, there was a click. Some whirring inside the machine. The sound of a fan spinning. A metallic sliding sound and a loud whoosh. Buttons on the generator began to glow in various colors. Suddenly, the long-dead lamps overhead lit up, washing the cave in white light. 

She'd done it! Lin pumped a fist into the air and danced around at her victory, knowing no one could see. She laughed. She had really finished two entire commissions for the city since she moved to Portia. 

As her eyes adjusted to the influx of light, Lin caught sight of something new. Near the hallway she'd come through was a metal door–and it was open. She froze. There were more lights beyond the entryway and she saw that the hallway on the other side of the door was man-made, not part of the natural cave architecture. She drifted closer, curiosity piqued. 

The hallway ended in a set of stairs extending upward. Normally, this was not the kind of thing that Lin would investigate by herself, but high on her success with the commission, she figured a little adventure couldn't hurt. Plus the Civil Corps said this place is safe, she told herself. 

Lin stepped tentatively down the hallway, following the floor lights that guided her to the stairs. She headed up carefully, trying to minimize the echoing of her footsteps. 

At the top of the stairs was another metal door. She yanked it open and it screeched loudly as it scraped against the floor. Lin winced at the sound. On the other side was another hallway, unlit this time. Lin's headlamp beam extended outward and faded into the darkness. This was definitely creepy. Still, she figured she could turn back if she wanted to. She propped the heavy door with a nearby piece of rubble in case it locked automatically. 

Along the hall were metal doors similar to the one she'd come through. All of them seemed to be locked, rattling in their frames when she tried the handles. Wires and pipes ran along the ceiling, slithering in the shifting light. Lin shuddered lightly, wondering what this place had been. Finally, she reached the end of the hallway, a door that bore an ancient "EXIT" sign overhead. Lin shoved this door with a shoulder. 

Squinting in the sudden sunlight, Lin realized she was outside.

"What the fuck? Lin?" 

Lin blinked rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the sun. Sam, Remington, and Arlo were staring at her in surprise and confusion. Sam was about to say something else when Arlo stepped forward. 

His expression had rapidly changed from one of surprise to something colder. He was… shit, he was angry. He stalked over, staring down at her in a way that made her feel very small. 

"What the hell were you doing in there?" 

Lin's mouth was dry. She did her best to shake off a feeling of intimidation. She hadn't been doing anything wrong, after all. 

"I–I was installing the new battery. In the Amber Island Cave." 

"This is not Amber Island. Do you even know where you are?" 

Lin looked around. Behind her was a tall and crumbling industrial building, and ahead were several familiar ancient ruins she recognized from the background of her daily life in Portia, but had never seen up close. 

"Is this...?" 

"The Collapsed Wasteland, yes." Arlo finished. "And it's extremely dangerous. You're lucky you stumbled upon us–do you have any idea what kinds of things are lurking around here? You could have easily gotten injured. Or killed." His eyes flashed.

Lin narrowed her eyes at the captain. "Listen, I was fixing the generator in there on a commission from the mayor. It works now, by the way. When it turned on, a door in the wall opened. I thought it might be a way out, so I followed it and it led me here." 

Arlo didn't relent. "And why would you think exploring strange hallways in the cave by yourself is acceptable?" 

Lin was about to answer that it was because Arlo himself said the cave was safe. Remington placed a hand on Arlo's shoulder. 

"Listen, it's okay," he assured in his calming baritone voice. "She's obviously not the person we're looking for." 

Arlo shrugged him off. "Fine, obviously. But we can’t just have random civilians wandering around the Hazardous Ruins."

Remington ignored him and continued. "In fact, this is really helpful. We had no idea there was a way to get here from Amber Island.” He turned to Lin. “We were investigating a series of petty thefts citizens have reported. This is really useful info. I wonder if the thief has been using this passage to escape with the stolen items." 

Arlo huffed.

Sam spoke up. "You know, maybe we should give Lin the test." 

Lin looked at Sam, confused. Remington and Arlo also turned toward her, skepticism obvious on their faces. 

"And why would we do that?" Arlo asked, crossing his arms. 

"Because it's been a long time since we had a builder that was willing to do things like fix ancient relics and go exploring on her own instead of just building, I don’t know, bookshelves or whatever." Sam shrugged. 

“So what?” Arlo said. 

“So, Gale is going to take advantage of that attitude. He has a huge stockpile of project ideas that none of the other workshops will touch because they’re too dangerous. She's gonna end up in more situations like this whether we like it or not.” 

“Then we go with her next time,” Arlo insisted. 

Sam rolled her eyes at him. “Okay, well, we could really use a combat-trained builder who’s willing to come to the hazardous ruins with us on occasion. Someone who can get us into inaccessible areas. Plus, final point, she just looks like a fighter." Sam winked at Lin.

"Could someone please explain what the hell we’re talking about?" Lin set her hands on her hips. Inside, she was reeling from Arlo's chastising tone, feeling like a child who’d been scolded. She was simultaneously resentful and embarrassed and was doing her best not to show it. 

The Corps members looked at her. "If you can last a minute sparring against us, you can come into the Hazardous Ruins whenever you want," Sam answered. 

Lin's eyes darted to Arlo, who was still glaring at her. She looked back at Sam. "All of you?" 

Sam shook her head. "No, just one of us. Any one. In addition to being motivation for you to train so you’ll be more prepared if anything goes wrong on your big commissions, it also means that according to Portia bylaws, you can dive here whenever you want. Though we’ll still probably come with you the first few times while you learn the ropes."

Lin considered this. Until that moment, she hadn’t given much thought to the Hazardous Ruins. She hadn’t known diving there was a possibility. The opportunity seemed incredibly appealing. There were really valuable artifacts in these ruins–things that even the research center couldn't replicate with their extensive knowledge. There were relics that might be useful for her as a builder, or useful for the whole city, even. 

"Okay," Lin agreed, looking only at Sam. "I'll do it. But how will I practice?"

"I'll train you myself!" Sam offered gleefully, clasping her hands together. "It will be fun."

"Um, alright. Sounds great." 

“Hold up,” Arlo said. “I still think this is a terrible idea.” 

Sam moved to stand next to Lin, arms crossed. “Would you feel that way if she was a man?” She glared at him.

“Sam, you know that’s not–” 

Remington clapped a hand on Arlo’s back. “Sorry, buddy, I think you’re outnumbered on this one. Sam’s right, having a builder on our team could be really useful.” 

Lin swelled a bit, grateful for the backup from the other Corps members. 

“For now, though, you'll need an escort back to town," Remington said to Lin. 

"I'll take her," said Arlo abruptly. "You both stay here and when I get back, we'll check out this passage." Lin was surprised. Maybe the captain wanted to chastise her some more outside the presence of his colleagues. She felt a jolt of mixed irritation and anxiety. 

"Come on then." Arlo looked back at her briefly. He took off intently toward the city, and she turned to follow him. 

They walked in an uncomfortable silence. Or at least, it felt uncomfortable for Lin. She wondered if Arlo felt uncomfortable too, or if he was just angry. At least he wasn't still telling her off in that condescending tone. She sighed. It had been a long day and it was barely evening. 

She watched the captain attentively as he walked ahead of her. A halo of gold shone around his already-bright hair in the late-afternoon sunlight. His eyes were focused resolutely ahead, not paying her any mind as she watched him. She had to walk briskly to match the pace of his long strides. 

It didn't take long for them to near the gate to the Collapsed Wasteland in the hills of Portia. A short distance away from the gate, Arlo whirled towards Lin.

"Listen," he began, stepping closer to her. He took her upper arm in one callused hand with surprising gentleness. "Just be more careful. Please." 

Lin looked into Arlo's vibrant blue eyes. She nodded at him. "I'll try."

"Right," Arlo released his grip. He spun and took off toward the ruin they'd come from. Lin exhaled as she watched him go.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, one more time."

Lin moaned in frustration. She'd been training with Sam for nearly two hours and was exhausted. She shook out her tired arms and took a quick sip of water from a jar. Sweat was dripping down her flushed face and stinging her eyes. "When are we gonna get to, you know, the good stuff?"

Sam grinned, smoothing her hair down. "I like your enthusiasm. We'll work on some actual fighting techniques once you get this down. You're almost there–you've gotten a lot better."

At first, they'd spent several sessions working on how to fall safely. Sam said that since she would be falling a lot during their training, she wouldn't be able to move forward without this skill. This made sense to Lin. Lately, they’d been working solely on evasive maneuvers.

"I know it's kinda repetitive, but look. For one thing, you could pass the sparring test using just what we're learning right now, if you wanted. Like, you don't have to kill us to win, just last for a minute without being pinned and/or knocked out. For another, you're not going to fight most of the things in the Hazardous Ruins, in the beginning, at least. You're going to want to get away from them, which is totally acceptable."

Lin nodded, digesting this. She pulled at her ponytail to tighten it, readying herself for the next round of practice, when she heard a knock at her door.

"Sorry Sam, one second." She quickly patted her face dry with a nearby towel, but there was nothing that could be done about the sweat on her tank top or her rosy face. She pulled the door open.

Emily was standing outside. Her eyes widened as she took in Lin's flushed and sweaty appearance. "Oh, hi!" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No, no, you're fine, come in." Lin stepped back to let Emily through. "Sam and I are just practicing some fighting techniques. Well, mostly I'm just rolling around at the moment, to be honest."

"Oh," said Emily. Her eyes were fixed on a point just behind Lin. Lin turned to see Sam had returned from the kitchen where she'd refilled her water glass. She was leaning against the wall of the open kitchen entryway, skin glistening with sweat and hair plastered across her forehead. Sam nodded her head upward in a greeting.

Emily lifted a tentative hand. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey yourself. I hope you haven't been working too hard out there. It's hot out."

Emily waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, don't you worry about me. Anyway, Lin, I was hoping to get that basket back from you? It's grandma's birthday soon and I want to plan a picnic for her."

"Oh, of course!" replied Lin, a little panicked. "That's so sweet. And I'm so sorry, it completely slipped my mind to bring it back to you."

"I haven't needed it until now. I just figured I'd stop by on the way to town."

"Sure thing, one second." Lin rushed past Sam to dig the basket out of a kitchen cupboard where she'd stashed it weeks prior. She pulled it out and headed over to the young farmer, who was gazing at the ground intently.

"Thanks again for everything, it was all so delicious. Much better than what I was planning to eat while I was working on that first commission."

Emily looked up and offered a small smile. "Like I said, no problem at all. I have some errands to run, though, I should get going!"

"Okay, bye Emily."

Lin closed the door behind her. When she turned around, Sam was staring at the ceiling and groaning.

"Are you okay?"

"Ugh, dude," said Sam. "Nothing. I mean. Just. She is so fucking cute and I'm always such a complete idiot around her."

Lin's jaw dropped in gleeful shock. "You like Emily?"

"What is this, middle school? We're not twelve." Sam flopped dramatically onto Lin's beat-up couch, countering this point somewhat. "Is it seriously hard to believe I'm attracted to her? She's gorgeous. She's so sweet. She plans fucking picnics for her grandmother's birthday!” Sam rolled over so her face was embedded in a pillow.

Lin clapped her hands and sat in an armchair, grinning widely. She interlaced her fingers and placed her hands in her lap. "How can we make this happen?"

Sam bolted upright. "Um, no. Absolutely not. This is none of your business."

"You brought it up! And why not? I can be your wing woman!

"God, why did I say anything?" Sam smacked her face with a palm.

"I think she likes you too."

"Hmm?" Sam peeked through her fingers. "For real? What makes you say that?"

"Not quite sure. Just a vibe I got? I'll have to run a post-mortem on that interaction."

"How romantic," Sam rolled her eyes. "Seriously, if you say anything about this–"

Lin held up her hands defensively. "Girl, I've seen you use a sword. I would never."

Sam chuckled. "Can we move on?"

Lin sighed in disappointment. "Sure. Fine."

"Well… while we’re on the subject, here’s something sort of related." Lin looked at Sam with renewed interest. "Who do you think you'll spar for the test?"

Lin tilted her head. "Why do you ask? And how is that related?"

Sam shrugged. "Oh, it would be helpful to know as far as focusing your training techniques. And, you know, I figured it would either be me or Remi but I wanted to make sure." She made pointed eye contact with Lin.

"Uh, I'm not sure yet. I haven't thought about it that much," she lied. "Why are you smiling at me like that? And you didn't answer my question." Lin paused. "Wait, why you or Remi?"

"Oh, I was just assuming that sparring with Arlo would be too distracting for you."

Lin felt blood rush to her face. "What? Why? Do you not think I could last against him or something?"

"Hah! I knew it." Sam pointed an accusatory finger in Lin's face. "Baby, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb."

Lin sighed, suddenly finding the rough-hewn floorboards incredibly interesting. She noticed a crack in one that she should probably seal.

"Sorry, it's embarrassing," Lin mumbled. “I didn’t think it was that obvious.”

Sam shrugged. "Arlo's a fucking catch. I would love to see him with someone like you."

Lin met Sam's eyes. "First of all, I'm pretty sure he hates me for accidentally trespassing into the Hazardous Ruins. Second, of course he's a catch. That's exactly it. I'm sure everyone in Portia has a crush on him, and in his mind, I'm just this annoying girl who likes to sneak around outside of Corps authority." Lin slumped.

"Maybe," said Sam. "But..."

"But what?"

"If that's true, why does he ask about you after every training session?"

Lin inhaled sharply. "He does?"

Sam nodded smugly. "Oh yes. He wants to know how you’re progressing. And okay, to be straight with you, Arlo is not the type to discuss his romantic feelings very often, even with Remi and me. So I don't know exactly what's going on in that fiery red head of his. But still. You're a, hot, strong, skilled, hilarious woman and you've definitely caught his attention on some level."

Lin turned to bury her face in the armchair. "Stop it, I can't take blushing this hard. My face is going to explode."

Sam barked a laugh. "Please don't let that happen, it would put a real kink in our training plans."

Lin unburied her face. "God forbid."

"Seriously though, here's a word of advice," Sam said. Lin leaned in, attentive. "Arlo has been through a lot, the specifics of which are not for me to tell you. He can be very closed off and hard to read." Sam sighed. "If you're really interested in him, you'll have to understand it can take a while to get through the walls he's built. Just give him lots of time and space when he needs it." Sam smiled with genuine warmth. "If you go for it, know I'm rooting for you all the way. I can be your wing woman too." She winked.

Lin laughed. This training session had really taken an interesting turn.

Sam stood up. "Welp, I think we're done for today after all. We can start fresh on Thursday. Want to meet at the Corps?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Great," Sam gave a thumbs up. "See you then!" She turned and walked out.

Lin stared at the closed door, touching her cheek. She was still blushing.

 

* * *

 

"It should count! Sam, come on."

Several weeks had passed, and Sam and Lin had begun training in the Civil Corps headquarters full-time.

"Lin, this isn't regulation," Sam insisted. "We have to have a sparring arena, plus witnesses–"

"You're the one who's been training me, shouldn't you be able to make the judgment call?"

"There are rules in play here–" The Civil Corps main door burst open, cutting her off. Arlo. Of course. Lin wondered why he was always busting through doors.

"Arlo, can you please tell her I'm not just making this up?" Sam demanded.

Arlo sighed. He turned a tired face toward Sam. "What are you talking about?"

Sam exhaled. "Okay, so Lin may have beaten me in a sparring match just now."

Lin pointed at Sam. "Hah! You admit it!" She whirled toward Arlo. "These were the conditions I understood on agreeing to this whole shenanigan. I had to last a minute against any of you. And I didn't even _just_ last, I actually pinned her!"

Arlo looked taken aback. "Sam, is this true?"

"Well, yeah, but–"

"This was your idea, after all. Were you letting her win?"

"No, of course not.”

"Do you think she's ready for the Ruins?"

Sam didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, she made eye contact with Lin.

"Yes."

"Well then, there you go," Arlo waved a hand dismissively. "Congratulations, Lin, you've passed the test.” He gave her a small smile. “Good work. Winning a spar against Sam isn't something just anyone can do, I know from firsthand experience."

Lin pumped a fist into the air, grinning at her training partner. To her surprise, Sam, who’d seemed prepared to break out the Civil Corps handbook a moment ago, was smiling back at her.

"Well, this is anticlimactic. I was envisioning a big fight in the center of town or something. Good work kid," she clapped Lin on the back. "We can keep training, of course. We can work on the general stuff. If you want specialized weapons training, Arlo could help."

Lin looked toward the captain. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, could I?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yes, you could. If Lin wants to. Which I'm sure she does. She's shown quite the interest in weapons." She grinned.

Lin felt a sudden desire to tackle Sam again. "Yeah, maybe. I need to learn a bit more about forging first, though."

"Let me know, then," said Arlo casually. "If you'd excuse me, I'm going to go sleep for twelve hours."

"Night, Captain."

After Arlo shut his door, Lin whispered: "I am going to kill you."

Sam snickered. "Good luck. I really didn't let you win, by the way, that was all you. But still, this was my timing."

Lin's eyes grew wide. "This is why you wanted to practice at the headquarters? So he’d be here when I passed?"

"Bingo," said Sam, shooting her with finger guns. "I was slightly off since he wasn’t here for the actual fight, but you're welcome."

"He didn't seem that impressed."

"Believe me, he was. You know, during our Corps training exam, Arlo and I sparred until they declared it a standoff." She smirked. "That means you're pretty damn good, which is fine, because it means I was right about you."

"Whoa," said Lin.

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, go home, get some rest. And don't get used to winning against me."

“Wait, before I go,” Lin lowered her voice to a whisper. “I was thinking about the situation with Emily…”

 

* * *

 

It was Friday night, just a few days after Lin's successful spar against Sam. Lin had just settled into her armchair with a book and a cup of tea when there were several loud raps at the door.

Lin placed the unopened book on the side table and went to the door. She opened it to find Sam and Emily looking at her expectantly. She swallowed her delighted surprise at the two of them arriving together.

"Lin!" cried Sam. "Get dressed, we're going to the Round Table to celebrate."

"Um," she looked down at herself. "I am dressed. What are we celebrating?"

"You passing the test, of course! And also just life."

Emily giggled. "Please come! There are a bunch of folks there already."

Lin smiled. "Alright, just let me grab my wallet–"

"No, no, no," insisted Sam. "Drinks are on me!"

Lin laughed incredulously. "Sam, are you already drunk?"

"Of course not," Sam shook her head emphatically. "Okay, maybe tipsy. Grandma Sophie makes some _lethal_ moonshine."

Lin's eyebrows shot up. She gave Sam a meaningful look that said _you need to tell me about this later_. Sam returned this look with a glare, which meant _don’t give me such obvious meaningful looks while Emily is here_.

"Let's go!" Emily jogged off, bubbly and oblivious. The other two looked at each other for a moment and laughed before following her up the hill to Peach Plaza.

The Round Table was buzzing with activity. Lin usually didn't come here on the weekends, preferring to collapse into bed at a fairly early hour. Music was playing on a relic record player, but it was hard to hear over the general chatter.

"Hey, guys!" Sam called. She waved at Remington and Arlo, who were sitting at the bar with Paulie from the furniture store. Lin’s stomach flipped over. Damn it, Sam.

Sam grabbed Lin's arm firmly as they moved toward the bar, ensuring she would take the seat next to Arlo. Lin elbowed her lightly, but Sam didn't release her grip. Lin reluctantly took the stool next to the captain, a small ecosystem of butterflies taking flight in her stomach. Sam sat to her right, with Emily on Sam's other side.

"Hi, Arlo," Lin said, looking up at the captain.

"Hello there." The normally-surly man smiled. Lin felt a such a warmth spread through her, she felt for a moment she wouldn't need any alcohol. Then she remembered where she was and who she was with. Though, at least it seemed Arlo wasn't still overtly mad at her.

"One honey whiskey, please," she requested when Django made his way over. "Make that a double, actually.”

"Hmm." Arlo was watching her. "Honey whiskey? What should I make of that?"

Lin scoffed. "Arlo, don't tell me you're one of those people who uses alcohol preferences to make assumptions about someone's personality."

"Maybe," admitted the captain. "Would you mind if I hazard a guess, though?"

"Have at it." Lin took a fairly large sip of her drink, feeling a different kind of warmth sink into her center. This could be fun.

"Let's see." He examined her for a moment. "You're almost sickeningly sweet, but with a surprisingly sharp edge."

She nearly choked. Was the captain flirting with her?

"Nice try, but it's more like I enjoy getting drunk quickly and I need some kind of sugar to take the edge off." She took another sip of her whiskey. "Also, 'sickening'? Really?" The captain barked a laugh. "What about you? What's your vice of choice?"

"Plain old whiskey for me." Arlo raised his glass.

"So just the sharp edge, no sweetness," Lin assessed.

"Hey there," Arlo chided.

"But still, all the same warmth," she added.

"Mmm," Arlo took a sip. He leaned toward Lin conspiratorially. "Can I ask you something?" His warm, whiskey-tinged breath tickled her face.

Lin was pretty sure her heart had stopped. "Uh, yeah, of course. What is it?"

"What is going on over there?" He tilted his head toward Sam and Emily, who were laughing uproariously about something.

"Ohh," Lin laughed. "I mean, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"God, Sam would kill me if I said anything. And you know she's capable."

"She's not paying attention right now." Arlo smirked.

"I mean, I think you could probably guess what I'm getting at."

Arlo nodded to himself. "Yeah, thought so."

"Do not say anything to her, and do not mention me at all when you inevitably do."

Arlo looked at her solemnly. "Promise."

Lin lowered her voice. "It wasn’t really going anywhere for a while. I was pretty sure that Emily was into Sam, but I couldn't put my finger on why I was getting that vibe. Then I realized what it was. Emily had stopped by at home one night when Sam and I were training, and I realized later she seemed kind of disappointed to see us together. In retrospect, I think she thought there was something going on between Sam and me."

"Remi and I were wondering about that too."

Lin rocked back, shocked. "What?! No!” She noticed the others glance at her and she quieted herself.

“I mean, I’m not saying she’s not attractive. And strong. But we’re just friends, we’ve just been training a lot.”

"Attractive _and_ strong, huh? So you do like girls, then?"

Lin was blushing intensely now. "Oh, I mean, I like everyone."

Arlo laughed sharply. “That’s a lot of competition.”

Lin was not touching that one with a ten-foot pole. "Um, you know what I mean. How much have you had to drink?"

Arlo didn’t answer, he just leaned his head on one fist and grinned widely.

"Anyway," Lin said quickly, "I told Sam my thoughts about the whole thing, and that was the last I'd heard about it until they showed up at my house together and dragged me here."

"This has been a very elucidating conversation," said Arlo, lifting his glass. "Cheers to staying in the social loop."

They clinked their glasses together and Lin downed the rest of her drink.

They spent the next hour chatting about nothing and everything. Arlo told Lin about some recent adventures in the ruins, and she told him stories from her life in Barnarock. Honestly, she couldn't believe the zipped-up captain was capable of such lightness and humor, but she was enjoying it thoroughly. Enjoying him thoroughly. By the end of the evening, all her nerves had evaporated.

She was also several drinks in and kept lightly grabbing his forearm without totally meaning to. He didn't acknowledge this, but he also didn’t pull away, which she considered a small victory.

Lin failed to stifle a yawn. "Sorry, I've been up since seven working on commissions. I think I should head home."

"I can walk you back, if you like?" Arlo said. "You're not exactly sober."

Lin giggled. "Captain, are you suggesting I can't handle my liquor?"

He nodded emphatically. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. I believe a Civil Corps escort is in order."

"Fine," Lin said with mock reluctance. "Even though I live five minutes from here."

"You never know what could happen in five minutes," he said gravely. “There are a lot of llamas out there in the dark.”

Lin giggled again at the idea of Arlo protecting her from a llama attack. "Guys, are you good?" Lin asked her friends. Sam and Emily were invested in a conversation about their respective exercise routines. They both nodded and wished them a cheerful goodnight. Remington and Paulie had been engaged in an intense darts rivalry for the past half hour, and Arlo suggested not interrupting them.

The air had grown chillier since they'd entered the Round Table hours earlier and Lin crossed her arms protectively over herself as they exited. She was glad it was just a short distance home. Arlo walked quietly by her side, as he had done on the day she wandered into the Collapsed Wasteland. She felt a building anticipation. Would he kiss her, maybe?

"Sorry, I know it's cold," Arlo said, just outside her yard. "I wanted to tell you something while we’re alone."

Lin looked into his eyes expectantly, heart about to burst in her chest.

"I wanted to apologize for being so harsh before. In the Wasteland." He took a steadying breath. "For about thirty seconds, I thought you might have something to do with the thefts. When I realized that was impossible, it was… I was worried about you, and I felt guilty. I helped clear the Amber Island cave, and it was my fault I didn't spot the passage you came through. I hated the idea that my negligence would cause you to come to harm. I channeled that feeling into anger at you, and that wasn't fair. I think you're going to be a brilliant fighter, and I know you can handle yourself." He looked at the ground in silence. "So yeah, that's all."

Lin blinked at Arlo. Then, following alcohol-guided instincts, she moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his familiar blue Flying Pigs bandana. At first, he stiffened at her touch, but a moment later he relaxed with a sigh, enveloping Lin in his strong arms. Lin smiled against his chest, committing him and this moment to memory.

Reluctantly, she pulled away. "Thanks, Arlo. That means a lot. I should get to bed now," she said softly.

"Of course," he said, releasing her. "Sleep well, Lin."

She smiled at him. "I'm sure I will."


	4. Chapter 4

Lin awoke the next morning with a burst of optimistic energy in spite of a dry mouth and a headache. For a minute, she couldn't place the source of this feeling. Then, it all came back to her in a rush.  _Arlo_ . She'd spent the evening with Arlo. They'd had real conversations and he had maybe-flirted with her and he had apologized for the Collapsed Wasteland incident. She had _hugged_ him. Lin rolled over and grinned into her pillow. Sure, it was hardly a confession of love, but it was _something_ from the closed-off, single-focused man.

She rolled out of bed. The feeling of the ice-cold wooden floor on her bare feet woke her up fully, dampening her mood the tiniest bit. She realized she would need to drink some water and deal with her headache before she was prepared to do anything else. She was also vaguely nauseous. This was why she usually stayed in on the weekends.

In the kitchen, she ground up some mint leaves for tea while guzzling water from her favorite jar. She had a thick slice of pan-warmed bread with butter for breakfast, not trusting her stomach with much more at the moment. She had just poured hot water into her mug when there was an urgent knocking at the door.

It was a little early for visitors. Lin padded to the entry, mug in hand. She opened the door to find Sam, a look of concern troubling her face.

"Hey, we need you. Can you come up to Peach Plaza as soon as possible with some basic tools and supplies for diving? We'll explain everything."

"Yeah, of course. Let me get dressed and I'll be right up."

Sam nodded and rushed back toward the plaza.

Lin set down her mug on the table by the door. Shedding her pajamas, she pulled on a sweater and yanked on the pair of jeans she'd worn the previous day. She grabbed her tool belt from the hook where it usually hung and buckled it around her waist. Sliding on her boots, she rushed out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

There was a crowd of people standing around the plaza when she arrived. Seemingly, half the town was there. She spotted the Corps, as well as Gale, Higgins, and several others. They were all staring at one thing: the fountain in the center of the plaza. Lin turned her eyes to look at the fountain as well. The water was… wrong. For one thing, it was green. It also looked unpleasantly thick and was emitting a strange odor. She wrinkled her nose.

"What the hell is this?" she asked when she reached the Corps and the mayor.

"We're not totally sure," answered Mayor Gale. "What we know so far is that there's something toxic seeping into our water supply. Not just the fountain–everywhere. Sam traced the pollution up the river to beyond the Bassanio Falls. There's a ruin up there we suspect it's originating from, but we need a builder to accompany the Corps and fix the problem once we pinpoint it." He made pointed eye contact with her.

_Shit_. It felt like they raised the stakes every time she got an order from the city. How was she going to fix something of this magnitude by herself? While she was hungover. Oh, and with Arlo watching. No pressure. At least she wouldn't have to go to the Wasteland alone yet.

Lin took a steadying breath, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. "Okay. Okay. Let's do it."

Remington spoke next. "We'll be there to fend off anything dangerous we find, so hopefully you won't have to use your combat skills quite yet. Still, you need to be on the lookout and on guard. We have no idea what we'll find in there."

The group took off across the eastern fields of Portia toward the Bassanio Lift. "Feeling alright today, Lin?" Arlo was walking just ahead of the others and had turned to look at her, mild amusement on his face. Lin narrowed her eyes at him. She had hoped her just-rolled-out-of-bed-hungover state hadn’t been so obvious. Lin heard Sam chuckle to herself.

Lin straightened her spine. "I'm just fine, thank you." Now that he mentioned it, her head was still pounding. She supposed there would be time to deal with that later. "Where are we going, exactly?

"It's the ruin of a factory,” Remington answered. “Called itself 'WOW Industries.' We don't know what exactly they produced, but it's near the falls where Sam traced the origin of the muck."

As they rushed toward the ruin, Lin thought about the pollution. It was incredible that the actions of Pre-Darkness humans could still be affecting their lives in such an immediate way hundreds of years later. She felt a rush of anger at their selfishness. She couldn't imagine living in a time where such waste and excess were continually produced without any thought to the future generations who would have to clean up the mess. And really, that was what all of humanity’s work amounted to these days. Sure, they had moved beyond just surviving, but the Civil Corps, the Research Center, even institutions like the Church of Light only existed to deal with the aftermath of hundreds of years of narrowly-focused, destructive decision-making that had almost ended their species. The Civil Corps especially, since they were regularly in contact with the most dangerous products of the Age of Darkness.

"That's it up there," Sam said, pointing. Lin was snapped out of her thoughts. They were standing a short distance away from an enormous building with a square base and a metal-and-glass tower rising out of it. On the side of this behemoth was a giant tank attached to a pipe that snaked its way to the river.

"Should we check out that outside tank first?" Lin asked.

The group agreed. They followed the rusty pipe on the tank to the edge of the cliff overlooking the falls and saw that green muck was oozing out of the pipe and into the river.

"Okay, so it's definitely coming from here. Now what?" Lin looked at the others.

"We've got to go inside to find the source," Arlo replied.

Nearing the entrance, he unsheathed his sword. Remington and Sam both had rifles, and Lin hadn't progressed enough in her training to have any weapons of her own. She hadn't anticipated a situation like this arising so soon. She really hoped the presence of the Corps members was enough to fend off anything sinister while she tried to locate and fix the problem.

The doors at the main entrance of the abandoned factory had long been rusted off of their hinges and lay on the ground nearby, grass growing through the spaces where there were once panes of glass. The group assembled a formation with Arlo in the front, followed by Lin, with Remi and Sam flanking slightly behind her on both sides. The first thing Lin noticed as they moved into the enormous building was the sound of rushing water. She couldn't tell where it was coming from as it echoed off of the ancient walls. The space was industrial, with rotting conveyor belts stretching from floor to ceiling and ancient pipes zig-zagging across the walls. The smell of stagnant water and mold was overpowering, and Lin fought the urge to cough, wrapping a bandana around her nose and mouth. Beams of sunlight stretched through holes in the roof, highlighting pieces of old machinery and creating menacing shadows.

Lin could feel the Corps members around her tense and focus, slipping into a mental state they had built with thousands of hours of training and experience. She felt inept in their presence, irritated she still needed their protection. _They need you here_ , _too,_ she told herself.

Lin looked around. There was nothing in the entry space that obviously indicated the source of the pollution. "I think we should follow the sound of water… " she looked around. "That way," she pointed to another open doorway.

They moved forward. Out of the corners of the room came a discordant, metallic screeching that made Lin jump. She heard clicking behind her as Sam and Remington readied their rifles. Arlo shifted his weight lower, raising his sword.

Several shapes materialized in the shadows. As they moved into the light, it was clear they were AI of some sort, and to Lin's shock, they were hovering several feet off the ground. Lin had never seen an AI up close before but knew that's the only thing they could be. All of them were oval-shaped and made of shining metal, with screens and arrays of blinking lights covering their oblong bodies.

There were two deafening explosions as Sam and Remington fired their rifles. Lin heard a ringing in her ears and watched Arlo swing sideways and crack the screen of one of the creatures with his sword. There was a shower of sparks and it fell to the ground, glass from the shattered screen spraying in several directions. Lin closed her eyes and raised a forearm to protect her face from the shards. Remington fired his gun once more and Sam whirled toward Lin.

"Lin, get ahead of us into the other room, we'll take care of this."

Lin nodded and sprinted through the doorway. Behind her, the entry space lit up with a bright flash. Lin whipped her head around to see one of the machines shooting a beam of focused, white-hot light toward Arlo. He deftly rolled out of its away and a charred, smoking spot appeared on the ground where he’d been. A second later, another gunshot sounded and the AI fell to the floor with a loud clang. 

There was another sharp metal screech ahead of her and Lin winced. To her horror, an AI had risen from some corner of the room. They were in here too. It rotated, seeming to see and focus on her. Instinctively, Lin spun away from it, swinging herself behind a large metal box just as the room flashed with light from the AI's beam. She scrambled on top of the machinery, looking around to locate the machine. It spotted her and hovered a little closer.

Lin lowered her center of gravity, waiting for the right moment. Then, she leaped in a spate of heart-pounding adrenaline, tackling the AI from above. Woman and machine slammed into the ground, the AI sparking as it hit. Lin rolled away from the AI as it emitted a noxious cloud of smoke.

Arlo had rushed into the room. He spun around quickly, evaluating for further threats. When he saw none, he knelt immediately by Lin's side. "Lin! Lin, hey, you alright?"

Lying on her back, Lin coughed. She’d accidentally inhaled some smoke from the broken machine. "What. The fuck. Was that?"

"Sentry AI. Built to last." He offered her a hand and she took it, rising shakily back to her feet. "Stay alert, there may be more."

"Great," Lin mumbled. Her vision was a little blurry and her head was pounding harder than ever, like someone was hammering her skull from the inside.

She took in the room around her. Along the back wall, an overhead pipe was oozing now-familiar green sludge into a grate in the floor. That had to be it. She traced the pipe back to where a shut-off valve was most likely to be and saw there was none. Wait, it looked like there was part of a valve there? She looked around and saw a broken piece on the ground several meters away. She picked it up, examining it. It was the valve’s handle, which had broken off somehow. The whole thing would have to be replaced.

Lin unzipped the sack that was attached to her tool belt and rooted around, praying silently.

"Yes!"

Her hand clasped what she was looking for. She had an extra valve. She had found it in the ruin near the Civil Corps just a few days prior and hadn't taken it out of her sack yet, thank God.

There was a ladder that led to a narrow platform alongside the pipe. She scrambled up and side-stepped to the broken valve, footsteps clanging on the platform. She pulled out a wrench from her belt and removed the damaged piece as quickly as her still-shaking hands would allow. As she did, the two sides of the pipe began gushing profusely. She cringed as the toxic water covered her hands but didn’t stop working. She felt around carefully through the water and used two of the old nuts to screw the new valve in tightly. As usual, the parts were not exactly the right size, so she used some sealant to keep everything in place.

Lin blew on the sealant to help it dry. She wasn't quite sure if this had an effect, but it made her feel like she was doing something. Once she was confident the valve was as secure as it could be, she grabbed the handle and pulled it upward.

She looked out toward the place the pollution had been flowing from, holding her breath. It let out a few final spurts of liquid and then the gushing stopped. She exhaled all of her breath. "Oh thank God. Fuck." She looked over to see the three members of the Civil Corps watching her in anticipation. She held her wrench aloft in victory. "I did it, guys!"

"Hell yeah, you did!" Sam yelled. Remington and Arlo were beaming at her. Lin climbed down the rickety ladder slowly. Once she was standing with the Corps, Remington clapped her on the back in appreciation. "Nice work, Lin."

She looked up into Arlo’s deep blue eyes, which radiated warmth and approval as he smiled at her. They went in and out of focus.

"Arlo, why are your eyes like that?"

"What?" Arlo was genuinely confused by the non-sequitur.  

"Blurry?"

Lin’s head thumped. Everything faded to black.


	5. Chapter 5

Lin's eyes fluttered open slowly, as if her eyelids were weighted. A golden, flickering light danced at the edge of her vision. She used her elbows to lift herself up slightly, confused. Her head beat with a deep pain and she winced.

"Hey, you're awake," said a soft voice. Arlo was sitting in an armchair next to her. He leaned in to look at her closely.

"What–what happened?" Lin pulled herself slowly into a sitting position.

"Take it easy," he urged. "Here, drink something." He handed her a glass of water. She took it with both hands and stared at it.

"Don't worry, it's good water. We gathered enough from upriver to last until the pollution clears itself." Lin took a small sip. Then another. She finished off the glass in a few large gulps, some of it escaping down the sides of her mouth in small streams.

"Do you want another?" Arlo's face was set in gentle concern.

"Yes please," Lin croaked. After she finished that glass, she looked around again. She was set up on a makeshift bed on one of the couches in the Civil Corps headquarters. It was nighttime–the flickering she noticed was the nearest lantern, glowing dimly just ahead of her.

"Why am I here?" she asked.  

"You passed out after you fixed the pipe at the factory. We had Dr. Xu check you out, he said you must have hit your head pretty hard when you tackled that AI. Fortunately, no concussion, but you were also severely dehydrated and had some symptoms of toxicity from the pollution. We thought it would be easiest if you could stay here tonight so the Corps could take shifts keeping an eye on you. The doctor agreed since he's just next door if you start to feel worse."

The day came back to her then. In the haze of panic and adrenaline, she hadn't even realized she hit her head. She’d already had such a bad headache, her new injury must have blended right in.

"It probably didn't help that I was still hungover and drank some toxic water right before we left for the factory," Lin said grimly.

"Probably not," Arlo agreed. "You know, I did try to warn you about that honey whiskey."

Lin summoned a tiny smile. Then she felt a sharp pang in her skull and her eyes watered. She raised a palm to press against her forehead, a small whimper escaping her. Her head really, really hurt.

"Hey," Arlo whispered. He reached out to stroke her hair softly, his thumb brushing her aching forehead. "It will be alright soon, I promise."

In spite of her throbbing head and sore body, she felt a rush of warmth at this unexpected tenderness. She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, overcome with an unidentifiable mix of emotions. She watched the way the lamplight cast dancing shadows across his strong features. She wished this was happening under different circumstances. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

He removed his hand and she stopped herself from making a disappointed noise. “I'll be right back,” he said.

He returned a moment later with an herbal-scented cold compress. “Here, Lin, the doctor said this would help with the headache.”

Lin took the compress from him and laid it across her eyes and forehead, sucking air through her teeth at the icy sensation.

“Sorry, I know it's freezing. He said it’s something to do with compressing the blood vessels in your head.”

“That sounds like a bad thing,” she said, grimacing at the biting cold.  

“He knows what he's talking about. I trust him. Just relax.” She felt his hand return to gently stroking her hair.

Lin did her best, clenching her eyes tightly and focusing on the feeling of his fingers in her hair. She fought the urge to remove the compress from her head. After a few minutes, her skin adjusted to a tolerable degree and she sighed in relief.

"That was pretty badass today, you know." Lin lifted the compress slightly off her eyes to see Arlo smiling at her.

“Really? Passing out your first time in the Hazardous Ruins is badass?” She snorted.

He chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. This wasn’t really an ideal introduction. You were in pain and you pushed through and fixed the problem anyway. That takes guts and a whole lot of selflessness.”

Lin took this in, closing her eyes under the compress. “You think I did okay? Really?”

“Better than okay, Lin. You were very brave.”

Lin flushed, his praise piercing through her throbbing headache.

“We've really got to get you a weapon for next time, though."

Lin groaned.

"Sorry, we’ll talk about that when you’re feeling better. I really would be happy to give you weapons training, though. If you wanted."

"Sam's not bribing you or something, is she?"

"No, of course not."

Lin’s voice fell into a whisper. “Is it always like that? In the ruins?”

Arlo paused. “No. The places we patrol on a regular basis don’t have anything like that inside. Because the Bassanio Lift had been broken for so long, the factory wasn’t on our usual routes.”

“But you deal with that kind of thing every time you clear a new ruin?” Lin was awed.

“Sometimes,” Arlo said. “Other times, no. Nothing’s really consistent in our work, it’s all about expecting the unexpected.”

_What a strange, unpredictable life Arlo leads,_ Lin thought. “Do you still get scared of things like that?”

“Things like the AI?”

“Yeah.”

Arlo considered this. “Yeah, ‘course I do. I’d be an idiot if I didn’t. I’ve just had a lot of practice at channeling those feelings into productive action.”

“I guess you’d have to,” Lin murmured.

“And I’ve certainly been injured and passed out on the job more than once in the process.”

“That’s hard to imagine.”

Arlo scoffed. “That’s the nature of the work, Lin.”

Lin marveled at the Captain’s dedication and drive. Where did it come from? She wanted to ask him. There was a vulnerability between them in this strange midnight hour with no one else around. Still, she felt herself getting very tired.

“Thanks, Arlo.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me. For helping me feel better,” Lin said quietly.

His hand stilled in her hair. “Of course, Lin.”

"Will… will you stay with me tonight?" she whispered.

There was a short silence.

"I’ll be right here. Try to get some sleep."  
  


* * *

 

Lin awoke the next day feeling thirsty again, though her head was feeling noticeably better. Early morning light was shining through the windows in the vaulted headquarters ceiling. Next to her, Arlo was still curled up in the armchair from the night before. He was asleep, arms crossed, head resting on the back of the chair, red waves of his hair spilling over the edge. Despite the uncomfortable position, his breathing was slow and even. She took a moment to admire his handsome face, so open and vulnerable in sleep.

She loathed to wake him but figured he would be worried and possibly upset if he awoke on his own to find her gone. She reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Arlo?"

His eyes snapped open and focused on her instantly. His long lashes fluttered. "Lin?" He sat up straight. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Calm down, I'm fine." The captain relaxed slightly, and she withdrew her hand. "Sorry to wake you, I'm just up now and figured you might want the chance to sleep in an actual bed."

Arlo yawned, looking around. "Nah, can't fall asleep once it's light out. It's fine."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He stretched, rolling his neck with several satisfying cracks. "Don't be. How are you feeling?"

"More like a human. I still have a headache, but not quite as bad as last night. I'm kind of hungry though."

"Human is good. Well, I have good info that Django has breakfast for us at The Round Table if you're up for it," said Arlo. "A small bit of thanks for fixing the water supply."

"Wow, he doesn't have to do that."

Arlo shrugged. "Want to go?"

"Don't you have more monsters to slay or something?"

"It's my day off.”

"You don't have to spend your day off babysitting me..." Lin mumbled.

"Hey," Arlo placed a hand on her arm. "It's not like that. I want to. And besides..." he trailed off in a low voice, "it's free breakfast."

Lin giggled in surprise and shoved him gently on the arm. "The truth comes out."

He smiled at her. "Sam went ahead and grabbed some clothes from your house if you want to get cleaned up and changed first. They're in her rooms."

Lin assented and went to Sam's quarters to change. Putting on clean clothes and washing her face made her feel significantly better. She really wanted a shower but decided it could wait until she got home after breakfast.

She trotted back to the commons of the headquarters. Arlo wasn't there yet, probably still getting ready himself. Lin lay back down on her makeshift bed, humming to herself. Arlo had spent the night by her side and seemed to want to be with her now, free food aside. She trailed her fingers on the armchair next to the bed,  recalling the gentle touch of his hand on her forehead during the night.

Was Sam right? Could the Captain of the Civil Corps have feelings for her? She thought back. He had checked on her during her first night in Portia. When he was angry and irritated at her, he had still taken her aside to tell her to be more careful, and she knew now that he had been genuinely concerned for her safety. He had kept up with Sam about her training sessions, and they spent all night talking together at The Round Table just a few days ago. And last night, he stayed with her in a moment of weakness and need, doing what he could to calm her and make her comfortable. On the other hand, she had no doubt he would extend the same amount of concern to anyone under his protection. Still, there was something about the way he touched her...

"Hey, ready?" She was snapped out of this line of thinking by the man himself.

"Yep.” She swung her legs off of the comfortable surface and stood up next to him.

As they headed down the hill, Lin felt her head resume its pounding, blurring her vision again and making her dizzy. She stumbled slightly. "Whoa there," Arlo grabbed her arm to stop her from falling. "Are you sure you're up for this? I could always bring something back for you."

"No, no," she insisted. "Sorry. We're almost there. I'll feel better once I get something in my stomach."

Arlo made a skeptical noise and linked his arm through hers, helping to steady her as they approached the restaurant. To Lin’s mixed embarrassment and pleasure, he didn't let go until they were sitting opposite each other in one of the booths near the window. She gazed out toward the pleasant green fields she had come to love so much.

Django welcomed them warmly. "Please, have anything you want. Without the two of you, I wouldn't be able to operate right now, with the water crisis. Let Remington and Sam know the offer extends to them as well."

Lin smiled at him. "Thanks so much, Django. This really isn't necessary, but to be honest, I'm ravenous and I can't find it in myself to fight a delicious meal right now."

Django laughed. "Of course, my dear."

They both perused the menu silently for a few moments. "Arlo?"

He looked up at her.

"How much would you judge me if I got spaghetti with hot sauce for breakfast?"

He was aghast. "You're joking."

"I know it's kind of horrible but I mean, I'm injured, am I not entitled to a bit of indulgence right now?" She grinned.

"No, no, it's just–that's my absolute favorite meal. Sam and Remi think it’s very odd. My dad used to make it for me. Never for breakfast, though." Arlo chuckled.

"Oh! Well how about that. You can have some if you want."

"I might just take you up on that," he said. "I'm in more of a curry mood on this particular morning."

"Not a bad choice."

They ordered and ate in amiable silence, each occasionally stealing bites from the other's plate. The spiciness of the food flooded Lin with relaxing endorphins that sent some relief to her sore body. She also drank a large amount of coffee. It improved her headache significantly but didn’t do much for her exhaustion.

When they were finished, she rested her head on her forearms dramatically. "I feel about ready to head back to sleep."

"You probably should get more rest. Want me to walk you back?"

"You're always walking me places," she mumbled.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you were about to tumble down those stairs, and I don't think that would do much good for your head injury."

"Before that, too." She lifted her head to look at him. "It seems like you go out of your way for me, even for a Civil Corps Captain. Why is that?" The words spilled from her lips in a sudden rush of daring and curiosity.

Arlo met her gaze, his face even and measured. “You really went out of _your_ way to help us out, the least I can do is return the favor. It really is my job, Lin.”

“That’s not what Sam thinks,” she blurted. Her eyes widened and she immediately regretted it. Could she blame this outburst on her head injury?

“Oh?” He leaned in. “And what does Sam think?”

“Nevermind,” she said, blushing profusely.

“As if I’m just going to let that one go. What are you implying?”

She shook her head, cheeks burning. “I’m sorry, I just thought, maybe… I’m not thinking clearly right now.”

He stared at her and she forced herself to meet his eyes. “Talk to me, Linda.”

The use of her full name surprised her. It felt out of place and formal. “I think… staying with injured civilians all night isn’t in any Civil Corps job description.”

Arlo furrowed his brows, looking at her intently. Then he sighed. "We should talk."

There was a warning in his tone. Lin's heart seemed to turn over itself several times.

"Not here," she said.  

Arlo nodded. They got up and told Django goodbye, thanking him again for their meals. They walked in silence until they were outside the city gates.

"Do you mind if we keep walking for a bit?" Arlo asked. "We can stay near your place in case you need a break."

"Sure." Lin’s anxiety was rising. She felt like there was a wall of white noise in her body and brain blocking out all coherent thought. Why had she said anything at all? They could have had a nice breakfast and then she could have gone home to sleep.

They walked into the fields near her home, near where he had come to check on her during her first night in the city. The day was overcast but pleasant, with the sun occasionally peeking out of the clouds, and an invigorating wind blowing in from the sea. It rustled the grass and the trees around them. She watched them swaying, focusing on anything but him.

"Lin." He sounded disappointed, like he had bad news. She felt cold.

"God, fuck this." He stopped in his tracks, spinning to face her. He took her hands into his, meeting her gaze, eyes dark with emotion. Lin's breath caught in her throat, her lips parting. He released one of her hands to trace the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Her skin grew hot where he touched it.

"Arlo?"

He took a step back. "Whatever Sam said, she’s probably right.”

Lin didn’t say anything, waiting for him to elaborate.

He breathed a heavy sigh, broad chest rising and falling. "I have feelings for you, Lin. Of course I do. I can't help being attracted to you, I’ve been gravitating toward you since you got here. But I can't give you… I can't be involved with you. With anyone."

Lin's stomach sank and she couldn't meet his eyes. "Why? Because of the Corps?"

"Sort of.” Arlo massaged his temples, strained. “I've spent several years training to get into the Flying Pigs, you see. It's been a dream of mine since I was just a kid.  I've taken the entrance exam before and failed rather miserably, if I'm being honest. But I've been working with one of their members to practice, and she thinks I have a really good shot of making it in when trials come 'round this autumn." Arlo paused. "If–hopefully when–I make it, I'll join them in Lucien, and Remington will take over for me here."

Lin did look up at him then, throat swelling with emotion. "I see."

He took her other hand in his, running a thumb over her palm. "I thought I'd done a pretty good job of staying unattached in Portia. Then you came along." He moved closer to her again, murmuring into her ear. "You make this extremely difficult."

Lin shivered. "Sorry?"

Arlo chuckled. "You're just irresistible." He traced his fingers along her neck, and she responded with a sharp intake of breath. He seemed to catch himself and let go of her, arms falling to his sides. He looked into the distance.

"I've felt this way since I found you here the day you moved in," Arlo smiled. "Wearing a flower crown like some kind of storybook fairy. It was easier to shove to the side until you started training with Sam and she was talking about you all the time. How well your training was coming along, the things you were building, funny things you’d said. Now that you'll be working with the Corps more closely, I thought this was, well... a Flying Pig in the room that we should address. I do care for you, and I wanted to get this out in the open before either of us did something that would just cause more hurt down the road." He looked down. "I really am sorry, Lin."

Lin swallowed thickly, entranced by the blades of grass at her feet. "It's... disappointing, I'm not gonna lie. But I do understand." She forced herself to look up at him. "I mean it, I think your dedication is really admirable. It's one of the things I like about you. Also, it's a relief to know I'm not crazy."

"Crazy?"

"I thought you might feel this way, but you're also a bit hard to read."

Arlo snorted. "It's been said."

Lin returned her gaze to the ground. “So… now what?”

"Well, I can't keep myself from you entirely. We’ll see each other around. We should probably keep the drinking to a minimum, though."

"Good call," she mumbled, blushing.

"And hey, I was serious about the weapons training, once you're feeling up to it," he added.

She chuckled sadly. "Maybe later this week. For now, this has been a lot to take in on top of everything else. I... think I might head home to get some more rest now."  

"Of course." He hesitated for a moment and then folded her into his arms. She melted into him, hoping he wouldn't notice the dots on his bandana from the tears she couldn't hold back. "I wish things were different," Arlo murmured into her hair.

Lin took a shuddering breath and he tightened his arms around her. They stood like this for a moment, swaying together gently, neither wanting to move. Reluctantly, Lin withdrew herself from him, trying unsuccessfully to blink away the tears in her rapidly reddening eyes. Arlo said nothing, but he reached his hand to her cheeks to sweep the tears away with his thumb. She looked away, embarrassed.

"I think I'm going to need a few days to recalibrate, okay?" she told him.

"I understand," he said softly. "I'll see you soon, then."

"You will." She forced a smile and turned toward her house.

Arlo watched her as she walked home across the field, admiring the way her long hair swirled and danced in the breeze. She didn't look back at him as she went. He thought this conversation would bring him a sense of relief; instead, he felt a leaden weight like an anchor settling into his stomach. He sighed and headed up the hill to the headquarters.


	6. Chapter 6

Once her head injury improved, Lin threw herself fully into her work. Each day became a sunrise-to-sundown stretch of gathering materials, ruin diving, forging metals, visiting the Commerce Guild, and running around like a headless chicken making commission deliveries. Every night she fell into bed exhausted, no brain power left to think about Arlo or their conversation. This was intentional. Otherwise, she might break down, and she couldn’t let herself do that.

The two rarely saw each other in the days following their talk. Arlo seemed to be taking care to give her space. If she happened to see him across the Plaza or patrolling the ruins, she made herself look busy and refused to make eye contact.

It's not just that they couldn't be together, she mused in a rare moment of downtime. It's that in one instant, this... _thing_ with him had both been given to her and then immediately snatched away. He _did_ have feelings for her, and occasionally she would recall this with a sense of elation. Then she would remember he also had a lifelong dream that would eventually take him away from here. Despite how crushing that idea was, Lin was not a petty person. She really did want him to get into the famous adventurer's guild. She could clearly imagine him joining their numbers. Strong, sincere, brave Arlo. The thought both warmed and pained her.

After a week had passed, she decided she would just make things more uncomfortable by avoiding him any further. So early on Sunday morning, she awoke, dressed, and went to the Civil Corps headquarters.

She found Arlo sitting outside, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. Lin felt a jolt of excitement and panic. He stood as she approached, clearly surprised to see her.

"Lin, hello."

"Hi, Arlo."

"What brings you up here?"

Lin shrugged. "Just thought I'd take a stab at resuming normalcy, or something."

Arlo chuckled. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, sounds good."

She sat on the steps as Arlo disappeared inside. The view of the city and the rolling Portia fields was amazing from up here. She imagined it would be a great place to watch the sunset. He returned a moment later, offering her a warm mug. She took it gratefully as he sat down beside her.

Lin took a sip. "What have you been up to this week?"

"We've been working on clearing the Eufaula Tunnel over in the desert," he said. "Gale wants to finish it and build a route to Sandrock. I expect he'll be contacting you about that shortly."

"Yeah, Albert gave me a heads up about it. Actually, I was wondering if we could plan some weapons training before that project starts. I've been working on a sword."

"You have?" he looked impressed. "That's excellent! Good work."

"Hah, you can tell me that once it's finished." Lin gave him a half-grin.

“You’re feeling better, then?” He studied her as if looking for some visible improvement.

“My head is, yeah,” Lin said quietly.

“Glad to hear it.” Arlo scratched the nape of his neck. "As for training, usually Wednesday evening onward is best for me. And Sundays, of course."

"Let's plan for Wednesday, then." Lin took another sip of coffee. "Here?"

"Sure," he agreed.

They sat in silence for a while. Lin felt acutely aware of Arlo's warmth next to her. She tried to focus on other things–her beverage, the morning sunlight, the sound of birds. She sighed.

"How's normalcy going?" Out of the corner of her eye, Lin saw that Arlo was watching her.

Lin chuckled. "Could be better." She stood, handing him her mug. "I'll see you on Wednesday." Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned and took off down the hill. He didn't try to stop her.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Lin found herself back at the Corps headquarters. This time, she was carrying her brand new enhanced iron sword in a sheath on her back. She really was proud of it. She was almost hesitant to use it, not wanting to mar its perfect, polished gleam.

Lin found Arlo inside vigorously punching a training dummy, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn't notice her come in, so she leaned back against the wall to watch him. She took a second to admire his sculpted arm muscles, Arlo having shed his Civil Corps jacket for once.

After a moment, his eyes flicked toward her. He stopped immediately. "Shit, Lin. How long have you been here?"

"Just got here," she said, failing to suppress a teasing smile.

Arlo wiped at his forehead. "Didn't hear you come in."

"Stealth is an important part of combat, right?"

He smiled. "You're ahead of the curve. Do you want to practice outside?"

"Yeah, let's do it."

"Meet you out there in a sec," he said.

Outside, Lin took her sword out of its sheath, admiring it. It had no special markings or designs, but she thought it was pretty damn good for her first real weapons-forging effort. It was sturdy and symmetrical thanks to many hours spent with ever-finer-grained sandpaper, smoothing and polishing it down.

"Wow, Lin, is that the sword you made?" Arlo had appeared alongside her, eyes gleaming.

"Yep, the finished product."

"Mind if I take a look?"

She held it out to him with both hands. He turned it over, admiring it under the streetlight. He took several graceful practice swings. "Lin, this is really good. Very light and well-balanced."

She flushed under his praise. "You really think so?"

"I do." He spun the sword around casually. "But, you do know we won't be practicing with real swords, right? Not at first." He handed it back to her handle-first.

"Um, of course." She continued blushing, now for a wholly different reason. She took the sword and slid it back into its sheath.

Arlo produced two wooden practice swords and tossed one toward her. She caught it awkwardly in the middle. It wasn't quite as heavy as her real sword but did seem to have some sort of weight inside to help it resemble the real thing.

"Alright Lin, let's get started. I'll go easy on you this first time." Arlo grinned.

Lin smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

He spent the evening teaching her some basic attacks and the situations where they might come in handy. They didn't spar like she did in Sam’s lessons. Instead, he demonstrated movements alongside her, helping to position her when necessary. She hoped he couldn't sense the way her heart rate sped up every time he touched her. Sometimes it seemed he lingered a bit longer than necessary.

Arlo emphasized that this wasn't traditional sword fighting, though he mentioned Django could teach her more about that if she was interested. "In the hazardous ruins, you're highly unlikely to come across anything with a sword, so learning the ancient sword defense techniques isn't particularly useful. In the ruins, the best defense is a good offense. If that doesn't work, your best bet is using the kinds of evasive maneuvers you work on with Sam."

Lin nodded, slicing her practice sword down in a sharp diagonal from above her right shoulder, shifting her weight as he’d showed her. "Good, Lin. We can try this with your real sword a few sessions from now."

After about an hour of this, Lin requested they stop for the night. "My arms are going to be useless for ruin diving tomorrow."

Arlo laughed. "Do you want some water?" He stood in the headquarters doorway.  

"Yes, please." Lin sat on the steps as she had done a few days prior. She stretched out her arms gently, pulling each behind her head and bending slightly at the waist. Arlo returned with a glass of water and she drank it eagerly, feeling a bit of deja vu. She set the glass down next to her.

"Arlo, where did you learn all this? At the Civil Corps Academy, or whatever it’s called?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. He cleared his throat. "My dad taught me, actually."

"Oh, really? He did a fantastic job. Was he in the Civil Corps too?"

Arlo looked at the ground. "He was. He was the Captain in Portia as well, when he was around my age."

"Mmm." Lin wanted to ask more, but she sensed some reticence in his response.

"He died in the Peripheries when I was a teenager," Arlo explained in a whisper. "He was part of a multi-city team sent on an exploratory mission."

Lin gasped. Before she could stop herself, she had reached out and taken one of his hands between her own. He looked down at the hand she was holding, smiling gently.

"What about your mom?" she asked softly.

"She passed away when I was very young, unfortunately. I barely remember her."

Lin looked up at him. "I'm so sorry. My mother died when I was young too."

Arlo nodded in understanding. "I remember her mostly as a feeling. A warm, safe feeling."

Lin squeezed Arlo’s hand. "I also barely remember my mom. And my dad is... well, you know a little about him already, I think. A lot of people in town seem to. Legendary builder, or whatever." Lin shook her head. "He's alive, but I don't know where he is. He writes every so often. I lived with my Aunt Kendra after my mom passed."

Arlo took his hand out of her grasp and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Lin’s heart leapt and she felt a glowing warmth in her chest. Hesitantly, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I remember your Pa, you know. And I remember you.”

“What?” she gasped. She pulled back slightly to look up at him, eyes wide.

He smiled at her affectionately. “Yeah. I was pretty young then, of course. And you were just a baby, really. He used to bring you around to his job sites. Sometimes I would tag along with my dad too and end up in charge of keeping an eye on you.” His eyes twinkled. “Times haven’t changed much, I guess.”

“ _Hey_ , watch it.” Lin grinned. “Hopefully I won’t need so much supervision once I know what I’m doing with this sword.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you remember that. When I came to Portia, it was like coming for the first time. I don’t remember any of my time here as a child.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t,” Arlo said.

"Is... your dad the reason you want to join the Flying Pigs?" Lin asked.

"Yes. I want to finish his work. I’ve _got_ to. But it’s more than that.” He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Growing up, he instilled in me this deep appreciation for discovery, this passion for exploration. He would tell me stories passed down from his grandparents and their parents and so on. Stories about the old world. Not the Age of Darkness. The world that was _ours_.”

There was an intense gleam in Arlo’s eyes, and Lin was enraptured.

“He believed–as I believe, now–that the technologies of the past could be used to help us rather than destroy us as they nearly did before. We just need to learn from our ancestors' mistakes and approach those technologies from a different, more critical perspective. But we’ve got to rediscover everything we knew before, and undo all of their damage on top of that. It’s a long road."

Lin considered this for a moment. "You must hate the Church of the Light."

"I don't _hate_ them. I know that ultimately, they want what's best for humanity just as everyone else does. And it's easier to make complicated things black and white--to ban all the technology we don't understand--than to wade through the nuances and hash out what’s good for us and what isn’t."

Lin nodded her assent. "And there are still so many missing pieces, so many gaps in our knowledge. I see why joining the Flying Pigs is so appealing to you. Trying to discover what we've lost and reclaim the world that used to be ours. I get it.”

He met her gaze. "Have you ever thought of trying to join the Corps? You'd obviously be good at it. I could put in a word for you."

She laughed. "Nah. I appreciate it, but I don't think that life is for me. As much as I like the occasional adventure, at the end of the day, regardless of what technologies we find, there still needs to be someone to… well, literally put the pieces together. It's what I'm good at and I find it really satisfying."

"I get that," Arlo said. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"I support you, you know," Lin said quietly.

He turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

"You're one of the bravest, most earnest people I've ever met. I can see how important getting into the Flying Pigs is for you. I wanted you to know I'll be thrilled alongside you when you get in. I don't want you to think that because it’s the reason we can't… well, I just don’t want you to think I'm rooting against you. I’m Team Arlo all the way." She smiled shyly up at him.  

"Oh, Lin." Arlo wrapped his other arm around her, encircling her. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "Thank you. And I didn't think that of you.”

Arlo’s proximity briefly stole her voice. “Good,” she whispered.

He smoothed a strand of hair behind Lin’s ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. Lin inhaled a shaky breath. She could feel his heat, hear his breath as he exhaled, see the stubble along his jaw. She wanted to know what it felt like. He looked into her eyes.

“I really want to kiss you, Lin.”

Lin’s heart was racing. She swallowed. “But… you shouldn’t?” she whispered.

“No, I shouldn’t,” he breathed. “This is torture. You're not planning to make this any easier on me, are you?"

"Probably not," said Lin.

“We're really on thin ice, here," he murmured.  

"Maybe I want to see what happens if I break it.”

Arlo drew a sharp breath. "Lin… I think it’s time for you to go home."

"Should I?"

"Yes," he growled. He pulled away from her and stood up abruptly, offering a hand. She took it, pulling herself up alongside him.

Lin was bereft. "I'm sorry, Arlo, I didn't mean to–"

Arlo's eyes softened. "Hey, don't be. Please don’t. But I think I'll need a little more distance than this. For my own sanity."

"U--Understood. Next week, same time?"

"Yeah. See you around, I'm sure."

Lin bit her lip. "Goodnight, Arlo."


	7. Chapter 7

In the following weeks, Lin did her best to find a new equilibrium. Part of her wanted to return to avoiding Arlo, but she forced herself to continue their training sessions. They maintained a friendliness, but there was a physical and emotional distance stretching out between them like a canyon. Arlo was closed-off, back to the Captain she’d met when she moved to Portia. There was no more banter or flirtation or personal conversations. She couldn’t help feeling disappointed by this, even though she felt she should have expected it. His transformation was so complete that she sometimes wondered if any of his confession or affection had been real, or if she’d just imagined it all.

Lin also resumed sparring practice with Sam, having paused their regular meetings after her injury. The physical release felt amazing, a perfect outlet for her roiling emotions.

"Damn, girl,” Sam panted. She took Lin’s hand and pulled herself to her feet. “You are on fire today.”

Lin grinned. “Thanks. Guess I’m working through some stuff.”

Sam cocked her head. “Stuff involving certain Civil Corps Captains, by chance?”

Lin sighed. “Let’s take a break, I’ll tell you...”

She recapped the events of the last few weeks, watching Sam’s expression transform from amusement to elation and then stricken horror.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Lin, I never even thought about the Flying Pigs and Lucien. I feel like this is my fault!”

“No, of course it isn’t. It all would have come out anyway, eventually.” Lin squared her shoulders. “Better to deal with it now, rip the bandage off.”

Sam nodded, brows furrowed in concern. “I guess so. It explains why Arlo’s been all over the place recently.”

Lin perked up. “He has?”

Sam shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, you don’t want to hear about that.” She looked up at Lin abruptly, a smile growing on her face. “Hey, do you have plans tonight?”

Sam’s smile was somewhat unnerving. “Why?” Lin asked, suspicious.

“Yes or no?”

“No…”

“Great! Don’t make any!”

Lin couldn’t help but grin at her friend’s exuberance. “I’m a little afraid.”

“Don’t be. I’ll see you later!” And with that, Sam took off toward the town.

Lin sighed, watching Sam jog away. She didn’t usually like surprises, but felt that any distractions were welcome in her current state.

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, Sam and Emily showed up at Lin’s door with one of Grandma Sophie’s apple pies and some moonshine. A _lot_ of moonshine.

“Hey Lin,” Emily said. “Sam told me about everything… I’m really sorry. We thought we’d come cheer you up.”

Lin gaped at the large bottle of alcohol. “Well if that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will.” She moved forward to give Emily a grateful hug.

It was a balmy mid-summer evening, so the three of them sat in the grass in Lin’s yard. She decided then that she needed to make herself some yard furniture for future gatherings.

“Okay Lin, you gotta try some,” Sam passed her the bottle. “I want to see your reaction.”

Lin took the fat bottle in both hands, uncorking the top. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled. Shit, it _burned._ Her eyes watered. Sam was already laughing at her.

She made eye contact with Sam and tilted the bottle to her lips, forcing herself to take a gulp of the fiery liquid. She swallowed. The taste was _intense_ and she screwed up her face and shuddered. Her throat was ignited. But she didn’t splutter, so she gave Sam a triumphant look. A moment later, the familiar warmth of alcohol began oozing through her veins.

“That’s my girl!” Sam cheered. Lin passed the bottle to Emily.

Emily tipped the bottle back and took a swig like she was drinking apricot juice on a hot day. Lin gasped. “ _Damn_ , Emily!”

Emily looked at her, a self-satisfied smile on her face. She shrugged. “I grew up on this stuff. Well, you know. Once I was old enough.”

Sam was watching Emily affectionately. Emily passed her the bottle and noticed her expression, blushing slightly. Sam’s smile grew larger as she took it, grabbing Emily’s hand in the process. Lin couldn’t help smiling herself, watching the two of them. She thought seeing them together might make her sad, but it just added to the warmth she was already feeling. She realized she wasn’t sure when they’d made the full transition to _couple--_ Sam hadn’t mentioned it. She would have to ask her about it later.

The three of them proceeded to get far too drunk. Lin decided that the moonshine didn’t taste so bad after the first few sips, though this was probably because her taste buds had been numbed by the alcohol. They also decided that the pie was communal and set it in the center of their little circle so they could take occasional bites from it.

Emily was trying to get the rest of a story out. “So then--then Antoine saw him turn around, and he--” she broke out in giggles. “He ducked back behind the tree, but then--”

Lin and Sam were cracking up, both at the story and the way Emily told it in her drunken state.

“Spit it out!” Sam urged.

“The tree was way too small! There’s no way that Dr. Xu didn’t see him, but he just kept standing behind it anyway!”

The three of them burst into laughter. There were tears in Lin’s eyes, fortunately from amusement rather than the alcohol.

“Oh my God, I’m gonna ask Phyllis whether the doctor mentioned any of this.” Sam wiped her eyes. “I need an account from the other side.”

When they all calmed down, Emily lay back in the grass, exhausted from her storytelling efforts. She stared at the clear night sky, eyes a little glazed. “You know,” she said. “Granny told me a story recently, passed down from her own grandmother, about what it was like to see the stars for the first time after Peach cleared the darkness. Can you even imagine?”

Lin looked up at the sky herself, at the thousands of sparkling points of light and the swirling dark purples and blues of distant galaxies. “I really can’t.”

“It wasn’t even that long ago,” Sam murmured. “What a strange time to be alive.”  

There was a quick flash and streaming light in the sky. A shooting star. _I wish that Arlo and I would find what we’re looking for,_ Lin thought. An instinctual private ritual. What _were_ they looking for? She knew what Arlo’s dream was. She knew she wanted to be with him, and he with her, despite his distance. She knew what she wanted to be doing now, though she didn’t really have long term plans the way he did. Was there any way they could have everything they wanted? It seemed like an impossible puzzle.

“Did you guys see that?” Emily gasped.

“Yeah,” Lin whispered.

“Probably aliens,” said Sam. Emily started giggling again, and then they were all laughing uproariously.

Sam grabbed Emily’s hands and pulled her into a sitting position. She gave her a quick kiss on the crown of her head and Emily closed her eyes and snuggled into her. Sam looked at Lin. “I think I should probably get this one home.”

“I’m fine,” Emily mumbled, slurring her words slightly. Sam rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, baby. Come on.” She stood up and pulled Emily to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist for support.

“Thanks for tonight, Sam. I really do feel a lot better.”

“Anytime, kid.” Sam winked at her. “Go hydrate yourself or you won’t be feeling better for much longer.”

“Sage wisdom, as always. Goodnight, you two.”

Emily waved at her. “Goodnight, Lin! Love you!”

Lin laughed. “Love you too, Em.” She hadn’t known Emily for very long, but had no doubt that her affection was completely authentic.

She watched her friends cross the field toward the farmhouse together, smiling a bit wistfully. When she couldn’t see them any longer, she turned and entered her own home. She followed Sam’s advice and drank copious amounts of water so she wouldn’t completely regret her life choices in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

Work had really started to ramp up on the Eufaula Tunnel. Smaller commissions had been set aside in order for Lin to focus on building numerous support structures as part of the massive undertaking. She actually enjoyed the repetitiveness of the work, losing herself in the process of assembling beam after beam and column after column.

Lin was just about to head to A&G to tell Albert she was ready to take his next commission when she was accosted by Mint, the supervisor of the tunnel project.

“Lin! Do you have a minute?” He rushed toward her, panting.

“Of course, Mint. What’s up?”

“We’ve run into a problem with the tunnel and I was hoping you could come take a look.”

“I’d be happy to help if I can. What’s the problem?” Lin asked.

“For whatever reason, we’ve had several small quakes recently while we were excavating. I’ve stopped further digging for now, but I was hoping you could come and make sure all of the supports we’ve installed so far are sound, and also see if you can find anything that could be causing the issue.”

“Well I don’t know if I have the skills to figure out the cause of the quakes, but I can definitely come and check out the structural integrity.”

Relief washed across Mint’s face. “That would be super helpful, thank you. I just want a builder’s opinion. I’ll be there this afternoon if you want to stop by.”

Lin nodded. “Sure thing.”

She decided to wait on taking a new commission until they worked out any issues in the tunnel. She spent the next few hours filling her furnaces with ore and firewood. Hopefully, once she got back from the desert this evening she could start working on some new tools for herself. Her current set was a little inadequate for a project of this scale.

Not knowing what to expect in the tunnel, Lin buckled on her tool belt and packed some snacks and water. In a last-minute decision, she slung her sword over a shoulder–just in case. She took a Dee-Dee, admiring the scenery as it faded from lush greenery into the tans, browns, and reds of the Eufaula desert. It was still a bit of a trudging hike through the sand from the Dee-Dee stop to the tunnel. She didn’t see Mint anywhere, but to her surprise, Remington was standing at the cave entrance.

“Hey, Remi! What are you doing here?”

“Hello there, Lin! I’m on guard duty. Sam and Arlo are checking out the cave to make sure there’s no weirdness causing the quakes. Mint insisted on being in there too, for some reason.”

Lin snorted. “Mint wanted me to check out the tunnel too.”

“Sorry, I’m on strict orders not to let anyone in until they get back.”

Lin shrugged. “I guess I’ll wait.”

A few minutes later, she felt the strangest sensation as the ground beneath her shifted, throwing her off balance. She stumbled and caught herself, spiraling her arms to keep herself upright.

“Holy shit.” She looked at Remington. “Was that one of the quakes? Mint said they stopped drilling.”

“They did,” He said gravely. “I’m gonna see what’s going on.”

“I’m coming,” Lin insisted. Remington huffed but didn’t say anything to deter her.

Just then, a man and woman in bright orange construction gear rushed out of the cave entrance. “There was a cave-in,” the woman yelled. “The Civil Corps people were in there, I didn’t see–”

“Fuck!” Lin and Remington looked at each other for a millisecond and then simultaneously took off for the tunnel entrance.

Inside, they faced a pile of boulders that stretched nearly to the ceiling, dozens of feet above them. Small pieces of dirt were still raining down.

“Arlo! Sam!” Remington called.

“We’re here!” Arlo yelled back. Lin felt a wave of immense relief and bent down heaving, hands gripping her thighs.

“Thank God,” Remington said. “Is everyone alright?”

“Mint is hurt!” Sam shouted. “We need to get him out of here.”

“Do you see any way for us to get to you?” Remington paced, looking for any obvious gaps in the giant wall of earth.

There was a pause as Sam and Arlo did the same on the other side. A moment later, Sam called back to them. “There’s nothing obvious here. But there’s a door behind us, I think it’s part of the old shafts. We’re gonna head through and try to find a way out.”

Suddenly the ground shook again. Lin covered her head as a small spray of rocks and silt descended on them.

“Hurry!” Sam called. “I don’t think we’re alone in here.”

“We’ll head through Ingall’s Mine and try to get to you that way. Stay safe!” Remington took off through the cave entrance, Lin following right behind him.

“Lin, I’m gonna need your help on this one.” Remington yelled, looking back at her as he ran. “I hope you brought a weapon.”

“I’ve got my sword,” she said, sprinting to keep up.

“Good! Time to put that training to the test.”

Remington slowed as they neared a canyon in the desert. There was a lift descending down into it--the same make as the one near the Bassanio Falls, Lin noticed. Remington jogged to the controls and slammed on the button that would bring the platform to the top.

He whirled toward her. “I know you’re new to all this, and this isn’t an ideal situation to be using your skills for the first time. But I need to tell you what I know so you’re prepared.”

Lin nodded sharply. The platform arrived at the top of the lift and they rushed onto it.

“We’re about to enter an abandoned mineshaft. Someone a few decades ago decided to dig into a tunnel from the Age of Darkness days, looking for relics. I’m not sure what happened to them, but I know that a few years after that they boarded the shaft back up. That’s not a good sign. This area hasn’t been open in a long time; I need you to be alert and ready for anything.”

Lin closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to get ahold of the anxiety growing in her chest. Opening her eyes, she pulled her sword out of its sheath. “Let’s go.”

At the bottom of the canyon, they hopped off of the lift and jogged toward an ominous opening in the canyon wall. Many of the boards on the entrance had fallen off on their own, so it didn’t take much effort to pry the others away.

Lin pulled her headlamp from where it was hanging on her belt, stretching it around her head and switching it on. Her light shone on a large metal door just a few meters inside.

“Shit,” Remington said. “It’s electrical.”

Lin looked around frantically. She noticed a panel on the wall near the door and used a screwdriver to pry it open. The metal cover bent and then broke off with a loud snap. Inside were several blackened, burnt-out power stones.

“Well this is an easy fix,” she mumbled. She scrambled through her sack, pulling out some new power stones she’d found in the Portia ruins. She popped the used ones out of their slots and replaced them. She pulled on the door’s lever. Lights around the entry began to glow and the door slid open.

“Nice.” Remington took off through the entry.

The passage beyond was long with smooth walls of compacted sand. On the dirt floor, old mine cart tracks wound their way into the darkness. Above them, wooden ladders and platforms criss-crossed up to the ceiling. Lin looked up and the beam of her headlamp illuminated a rope bridge that led to the dark entrance of some other tunnel.

“I think we need to get up there,” Lin said, pointing. “We’re down in the canyon and if we follow the passages up we should end up on the same level they are, right?”

“That’s our best bet,” Remington said. They climbed some old wooden stairs that spiraled their way up to the bridge. They made sure to test each stair before placing their full weight on them, but due to the dryness of the area, the structures were in surprisingly good condition for their age. They still crossed the disconcertingly-swaying rope bridge one at a time, just in case.

“Weapons up.” Remington was carrying a huge hammer that reminded Lin of Thor from pre-ancient mythology. She held her sword across her chest protectively, forcing herself to breathe in a calculated rhythm.

They stepped tentatively into the passage on the other side of the bridge. It was eerily quiet, without even ambient noise to break the silence. If they shut off their lights, they would be enveloped in a sensory deprivation chamber. Lin shivered.

Then, the silence changed. There was a shifting along the ground, like someone dragging a stick through the sand. Lin noticed shapes in the shadows up ahead, just beyond where her lamp could reach. Her grip tightened around her sword, knuckles white.

Lin exhaled, brows furrowing in concentration as the creatures moved into the light. They were kind of like snakes, but quite distinct in appearance. Each was covered in thick scales like those of an armadillo, and they were huge-- as thick as Remington’s biceps and at least ten feet long.

“Remi. Snakes.”

“Tunnel worms,” he said. “You’ve got this.”

Remington slammed his hammer on the ground in an attempt to frighten them, stirring a cloud of dust. The creatures showed no desire to retreat, continuing to crawl towards them at a steady pace. He rushed forward and stomped on one of the creatures to hold it in place, then brought his hammer down on its head. There was an unpleasant crunching sound and the worm ceased its movements.

Lin saw another one undulating behind him and leaped forward. In a rush, she did her best to recall lessons with Arlo, using a combination of her strength and the force of gravity to bring a powerful slash down toward the creature’s head. With a spray of viscera, her sword decapitated the creature and its head fell to the ground with a soft thump.

She stared at the blood glistening on her sword. “Holy fuck.”

“There are more,” Remington warned. “It might be a nest.” They moved forward slowly, swinging and slashing their way through the creatures until Lin’s arms were burning with the exertion. A part of her brain was horrified at the gruesome acts, but she shoved her revulsion down. _You can freak out about it later,_ she told herself. Finally, everything was silent once again.

The pair kept moving forward, weapons at the ready. They came to a fork in the tunnel, both sides sloping upwards. They shone their lights down the left side, which was blessedly clear of tunnel worms. Lin looked toward the right and gasped. There were more of the creatures ahead. She lifted her sword, ready to jump forward and swing. Then, she realized they weren’t moving. She leaned forward to get a better look. “They’re… dead, I think?” Several were lying in pools of their own blood, and a few were twitching feebly, clearly injured.

“I bet the crew’s been this way,” Remington said. “Let’s go.”

Suddenly the passage shook again, knocking both of them off balance. Lin hit the ground so hard the breath was knocked out of her. She clawed at the dirt, gasping for air.

“We’ve gotta hurry,” Remington said, offering a hand to help her up. When she regained her breath, she took it and they rushed forward.

They came to another metal door. Lin grabbed the lever next to the door and pulled, but nothing happened. Like the entryway door, this one had a panel on its right side. Lin repeated her earlier procedure and pried off the panel’s cover. This time, the power stones inside appeared to be in good shape.

“This might take a little longer than the last one,” she told Remington. “Take a break for a minute, I’ll do this as fast as I can.”

Lin popped the power stones into a flashlight to make sure they were all still working. Once she verified this, she returned her attention to the power box. She carefully unscrewed it from the door frame and removed it, revealing the wires that operated the door. She spotted the problem quickly--several of the wires were frayed and had come apart. She felt some relief that the problem was identifiable, but knowing that speed was everything right now, she couldn’t let herself relax yet.

She unzipped a small inner pocket of her toolbelt sack and pulled out a handful of wire connectors, then took a small knife from her belt. As quickly and deftly as she could, she used the knife to strip the outer layers off the frayed ends and then twisted the exposed wires back together with the small plastic connectors. She inserted the power stones back in their places and tried the lever again, praying silently.

The door opened.

Remington rushed through before Lin could even stand back up.

“Arlo!” He cried.

Lin’s heart leapt and she rushed through the door after him. She found herself in a domed round room with fluorescent lights beaming overhead. She blinked, trying to gain her bearings after the darkness of the passage. She saw Arlo and Sam, covered in soot and lowered in battle-ready stances. Behind them, Mint was resting on the ground, a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his head.

She made eye contact with the Captain, whose expression instantly transformed into one of shocked horror. “Lin?! What the hell are you doing here?”

“I don’t think we have time.” Lin called back. She had just noticed the main feature of the room.

An enormous tripod-like AI was sitting in the center of the space, shifting back and forth on three legs like a grotesque spider. It had an egg-shaped metal center from which a huge drill protruded downward, spinning rapidly. It was at least five times larger than the AI Lin had tackled in WOW Industries. She felt the color drain from her face. She gripped her sword tighter and gritted her teeth.

“Remington, get over here, we’ve got to handle this,” Arlo shouted. “Lin, can you keep Mint safe?”

Lin rushed over to the man, who seemed to have passed out. She stood protectively over him, spinning around to keep an eye on the machine.

Without a word to each other, each member of the Corps moved toward one of the creature’s legs. Sam struck one with her sword and there was a loud electrical crackling. Sam fell backward as if shoved by an invisible force. Lin grimaced and fought the urge to rush to her friend.

The machine bent low and sprang upwards in an attempt to crush Remington and Arlo beneath it. Both of them dodged out of the way just in time as the creature landed with a thud that made the entire room shudder. Lin realized this thing must have been causing the quakes in the tunnel.

Sam bounced back from her fall and ran forward, continuing to hack at the creature’s leg joints. Between jumps out of the way of the machine’s efforts to crush them, Arlo and Remington made slow but steady progress on its other legs. The weakened joints were enough to impair the machine; it gradually grew unsteady, first falling awkwardly on Sam’s side, then on Arlo’s and Remington’s. Soon, it was mostly immobilized, though its drill was still spinning furiously, digging random divots in the ground as it moved spastically on broken appendages.

Finally, it came to a halt. Lin thought for a moment they had destroyed it. Then, she noticed its broken legs retracting into its sides. She felt a building apprehension. The Civil Corps members stood around it tensely, weapons raised. She saw Arlo glance at her for the briefest moment.

Defying physics, the machine abruptly spun onto its side. Sharp blades retracted from the machine like a nightmare version of Lin’s table saw. It began rolling towards Arlo, who spun behind a pole to avoid it. There was a spray of wood splinters as it hit the support with its blades.

Remington sprinted towards the machine and swung his hammer at its central body. There was a shower of sparks and it reeled, giving Remington time to move to safety. She saw that a crack had appeared the glass. It wobbled for a moment, then regained its balance.

Before she knew what was happening, the AI was spinning toward her and Mint. Lin breathed deeply, transitioning into a state of focus. She stepped forward, eyes on the machine’s center where Remi had cracked it. Lin lowered her sword to her left and waited. Gravity wouldn’t be on her side, so she’d have to use all her strength if she wanted to have an impact. She bent her knees. As it moved above her, Lin swung up and jumped, slicing at the AI with all the force she had. There was another spray of sparks and shattered glass.

Lin felt a white-hot pain as its serrated edges caught her in the right side. She gasped, clutching herself.

The machine rebounded against the wall and bounced off with a deafening clang. It wobbled and fell heavily upside-down with more sparking and a plume of black smoke. This time, it didn’t rise again. The central computer must have been damaged by the fall; crushed by its own weight. Its drill spun uselessly in the air, then slowed to a stop.

“Lin! Oh God, Lin!” Arlo was rushing toward her, Sam and Remington right behind him.

Lin looked down. There was blood seeping through her fingers, staining her shirt and toolbelt. She felt dizzy looking at it and collapsed into a sitting position against the wall. She felt like she was floating somewhere between a dream and real life.

She placed a weak hand on the sack attached to her toolbelt, patting it. “First aid kit.” Arlo knelt beside her and ripped the bag open, fumbling for a moment before pulling out a roll of gauze. He yanked up her shirt.

“Whoa Arlo, you want to do this now? Not really how I imagined it.” Her eyes were glassy and her words were beginning to slur.

“A sense of humor is a good sign, I hope. Oh, Lin.” He gasped. The gash in her side was deep. She needed to get to the doctor immediately. He pulled her forward gently, wrapping the material tightly around her midsection.

As he did so, Lin instinctively wrapped her arms around Arlo’s neck. “I want to go home. I’ve gotta check on the furnaces.”  

Arlo scooped her up. “We’ll get you there, I promise.” He turned to Remington. “Can you help Mint?”

Remington nodded. Mint was now awake and moving, so Remington pulled him up and wrapped an arm around his waist for support. “I think the quickest way out is the way Lin and I came, through the old mine. Just follow the trail of dead Tunnel Worms.”

Arlo and Sam agreed, hoping they wouldn’t run into anything new on their way back.

Lin’s eyelids were feeling heavier and heavier. “I’m tired, Arlo.”

This seemed to panic the man. “I know, you’ve been through a lot today. But you need to stay awake for a while, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Lin looked into his eyes, her own half-lidded. “Mmm.”

“Tell me, what are you going to do with all of that ore in your furnaces? Big plans?”

“Oh, I want… I need a better pickaxe, so ruin diving… is faster.” Coming up with the right words took a lot more effort than usual. Why was everything slowed down?

“Very practical.” Arlo said. “Gotta move quicker than Higgins to snag top workshop, right?”

“Higgins!” Her eyes widened. “He… stole my commission!”

“Did he? Wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Yeah, but then you were there with… with the bridge. The order from Gale.”

“That I was. That was the same day?”

“When we met for the first time.” Lin whispered.

“In the Commerce Guild,” Arlo added.

“I think I fell in love with you immediately.”

Arlo drew a sharp intake of breath and she felt a stutter in his movement. “Lin…” he whispered. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

It took a lot of energy to focus her eyes on his. “Yeah I do. I know you’re leaving soon but I just wanted to… to be in love for a little while.” She buried her face in his chest. Her eyes were drifting closed.

“Lin? Stay with me. Please.”

But Lin was quiet.

“Sam!” Arlo called. “Get over here.”

Sam rushed over.

“Check her heartbeat,” he ordered.

Sam rested two fingers on Lin’s throat. “Her heart rate is slow, but it’s steady.”

“Her breathing is really shallow,” Arlo said.

“Just hurry and get her out,” Sam said. “I’ll stay with Remi and Mint, you run ahead.”

Arlo nodded and took off.

“And hey.” Sam was jogging alongside him so he wouldn’t need to slow down. “When she gets better, give the girl what she wants.”

“Sam, this is hardly the time,” Arlo growled.

“Please, Arlo, I know you’re in love with her too. Now go.”

Arlo looked at his old friend, stopping for the briefest second. Then he turned and ran towards the mine entrance, clutching Lin tightly in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Lin drifted in and out of consciousness. She experienced snippets of awareness as the world moved around her; the cool night air as she left the cave, the rushing wind and bumpiness of a Dee-Dee ride, the concerned voices of Dr. Xu and Arlo discussing her condition. Their voices were slow and then fast, unintelligible. She felt the soft comfort of a bed beneath her, and then there was only dreamless sleep.

She awoke to a sharp pain in her side. She sucked in air through gritted teeth, looking around frantically. She was in Dr. Xu’s clinic. There was an IV taped to her hand, the sensation of it alien and uncomfortable. She looked out the window and saw it was raining, so she had no indication of what time it was. The doctor was absent, but his assistant Phyllis had been watching her attentively and was already rushing over.

“Hi, you’re awake. Are you in pain?”

Lin nodded, eyes filling with tears. Her body felt too hot, especially the gash in her side.

Phyllis rushed over with a slightly warm beverage. “Drink this, it will help.”

Lin took the cup from her and lifted it to her lips, forcing herself to swallow. She coughed. The liquid was incredibly bitter. Lin took a few steadying breaths and gulped more of it down. She figured that if it tasted that awful, it was probably effective. A few minutes later, her pain had diminished to a more manageable level. It was still there, but there was a distance between herself and the pain that allowed her to tolerate it.

“Phyllis? What time is it?”

“It’s just after lunch, hon.”

“Do you know where Arlo is?”

“Next door.” Phyllis smiled kindly at her. “He stayed up all night here to make sure you were okay. We finally told him he would be more useful if he went and got at least a few hours of sleep.”

Lin squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Unfortunately, one of the things she remembered from after her injury was her confession to Arlo. He’d made it clear that a relationship was off the table, and her words would surely only make things tenser between them. At the same time, she wanted him there with her badly. She wanted him to hold her hand and comfort her through the sharp throbs of pain the way he had done before. She felt like a child. A few tears slipped from her eyes.

“Oh Lin, it’s alright. I’m sure he’ll be back soon. That was a few hours ago now.”

She nodded, summoning a smile for the nurse. “Thank you, Phyllis.”

Phyllis busied herself preparing more herbal medicine and Lin watched the rain pattering the window. She went over the events of the mine rescue. She’d known that things as destructive as the giant drilling AI existed in the Peripheries, of course, but she couldn’t believe they could be found so close to her safe, protected life in Portia. How many other machines were out there like it? How many of those were nearby just waiting for some unlucky ruin diver to disturb them? She shuddered, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. If it had been a group of construction workers who’d encountered the AI rather than the highly-trained Civil Corps, well… she didn’t like to think of what could have happened.  

Lin felt another sharp stab of pain. The gash in her side pulsed with heat. She was too afraid to look at it right now, she’d never had to be stitched up before.

Lin heard the door to the clinic creak open and looked up. Arlo stood in the entryway, and her heart leapt with joy and trepidation. The Captain had a few bandages on his face and neck. He was damp from walking through the rain, droplets of water clinging to the ends of his hair. She met his eyes and immediately looked back down at her hands. They were pale. She examined her arms, noticing they were lighter than usual as well. Blood loss.

“Lin?” Arlo said. He pulled up a chair next to her.

“Hello.” She couldn’t look at him.

“I’ll be in the next room if either of you need me,” Phyllis said.

“Thank you,” said Lin. The nurse closed the door behind her.

They sat in silence, Lin examining the IV attached to her hand.

“Lin. Look at me,” Arlo pleaded.

She reluctantly lifted her eyes to his. She realized then she was still crying. She wished she wasn’t. She inhaled shakily. “I’m sorry, I don’t–I don’t know–”

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s okay.” He grasped her hands.

She pulled them away, suddenly humiliated. “Don’t, please don’t.” She heaved a sob.

“Lin, please.”

“I’m sorry I said anything,” she said quickly. “It was just the blood loss. I was dizzy and confused. You’ve made it clear what you want. Don’t want. And I–I just keep pushing boundaries and fucking everything up, and it’s all just a lot right now–”

Lin felt his warm hands on each side of her face, and then his lips were on hers. The kiss was gentle and chaste, a brush of lips meant to quiet and calm her. It was so unexpected that Lin didn’t have time to react. He pulled away and Lin gaped at him. She was silent.

Arlo took her hands again, and this time she didn’t pull away. He looked at her, his eyes dark with emotion. He swallowed. “You darling, brave, _insane_ girl. You could have died, you know that? You almost fucking _died_.”

Lin’s heart leapt at the endearment even as she recoiled from his sudden intensity. “You could have, too.”

“ _Lin_.” His voice broke. He gently pulled her upright and then his arms were around her, a hand cradling the back of her head. She was buried in his comforting warmth and he was kissing her hair, holding her like a treasure and repeating her name like a mantra that would keep them both safe.

New tears sprang to Lin’s eyes. “Arlo…”

He pulled back to look at her. She saw there were tears glistening on his face as well. Arlo, who always kept it together for everyone else, was falling apart for her. Her heart swelled and broke. She reached up and brushed a thumb across his cheek to clear away the tears as he had once done for her.

“When you passed out, I really thought I’d lost you.” He inhaled a shuddering breath. “I thought, the last thing she ever said was that she wanted a chance to be together, and now we’ll never have that because I’ve been a fucking idiot.” More tears quivered at the corners of his eyes and then spilled over and rolled down his cheeks. “It wrecked me, darling.”

Lin’s chest was about to burst with emotion. “You…?”

“I’m in love with you, Lin.”

Lin felt an electric burst through her whole body. She leaned forward and closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. This kiss was lingering and deep, fueled with months of pent-up feelings from both of them. Waves of relief and calm washed over her, and she lost herself in the feeling of him, of holding him, savoring the abolishment of the chasm that had grown between them.

Lin pulled away gently. “What about… well, everything? The Flying Pigs. Moving to Lucien.”

Arlo heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. I really don’t. My long-term plans haven’t changed.”

She nodded, anticipating this. “I would never want or expect you to give up your dream for me. That just wouldn’t work.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked down at her affectionately. “I know you wouldn’t. I do have one idea for the short term.”

Lin perked up. “Oh?”

He moved his hand to her hair, twining a lock between his fingers. “There are so many people who want to join the Flying Pigs, they’ve started to offer the entrance exams biannually. Once in the autumn and the spring. I’ll hold off on taking it this autumn and plan for the spring exam instead. That will give us some time together to brainstorm, plus the extra training wouldn’t go amiss.”

She furrowed her brows in concern. “Are you sure, Arlo?”

“Yes. I am. If you want this.” He watched closely for her reaction. “It’s a still terrible idea,” he added.   

“Of course I want this,” she said, leaning into his touch. “I want to be with you.”

“Good,” he whispered. He stroked her cheek. “Because I can’t bear the idea of leaving now and never _‘being in love for a little while_.’”

Something clenched in Lin’s chest. _A little while_. The idea of Arlo leaving had been difficult enough before. Now, the thought of having him like this and then being forced to let him go was almost unbearable.

“You’re right,” she breathed. “This is a terrible idea.”

Arlo’s face fell and he froze. Lin captured his hand in hers. “But I can’t go back. At least on my part, I don’t think any amount of distance is going to diminish the way I feel about you or make things any easier when you leave. I’d just wonder what could have been.”

“Mmm.” Arlo’s eyes softened. “You’re right. I was trying to protect both of us, but it just made me want you more, I think.”

Lin inhaled sharply. “Let’s limit the protecting to your Civil Corps work from now on.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been doing a _great_ job on that one. Look at the state of you.”

“There’s no way you could have anticipated anything like this happening in the mines, or have done anything differently. It took all of us to stop that… thing.” She shuddered.  

“And you were incredible.” Arlo’s voice was hushed and reverent.

As usual, his praise made Lin blush. “You’re just saying that because you like me.”

He broke into a wide grin, the first she’d seen on him in a while. “True, I do. But you stepped up to the plate when you didn’t have to, and you dealt the final blow to that thing. I’m so proud of you. Though I’m still a little angry you decided to take it on rather than getting yourself and Mint out of the way.”

Lin rolled her eyes. “First of all, I _did_ have to. I wasn’t going to let Remi go in there alone, and I don’t think he would have been able to fix that door by himself. Second, there wasn’t any time for that!”

“My brave protege.” He kissed the crown of her head and she laughed. Then she winced, clutching her side. He looked down at her, concerned. “How are you feeling?”

She considered this. “Weak, kind of dizzy? My cut is throbbing. Deliriously happy. Exhausted. Everything you’d expect after a fight with a giant murder-drill.”

He barked a laugh. “Oh, my poor girl. Should I get Phyllis?”

“No, it’s alright. She gave me some pain medicine before you came. I think I’d like to lie back down, though.”

“Of course.”

Lin shifted toward the wall to make more space on the small bed. Arlo lay down next to her and wrapped one arm around her carefully to avoid her injury and her IV. Lin reached up and placed a palm lightly on his face. He was warm and there was a hint of stubble on his jaw. She traced her fingers up to his forehead and tangled her hands in his hair, still slightly damp from the rain. This intimacy was so novel. He watched her contentedly, smiling softly.

“Get some rest, Lin,” he whispered.

She snuggled into him, exhaling a shuddering sigh. He smelled like cinnamon and cloves. He stroked her hair rhythmically and traced gentle swirls on her back. Lin, still weak from the blood loss and the emotions of the day, drifted to sleep in his arms.

 

* * *

  

“Two weeks!?” Lin stared in shock.

Dr. Xu nodded. “We can watch your progress and see how your healing goes, but your cut is in an area that’s prone to tearing during routine activity and your job is a highly active one.”

Lin sulked. It seemed she could never quite settle into a routine before something changed or went wrong.

“If you promise not to start work yet, we can see about you going home in a week. I’ll talk to Presley and Antoine so they know not to give you any commissions.” He winked.

Lin laughed. “Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re very welcome, Lin. You did a great job out there, everyone’s been talking about it.”

“They have?” Lin was a little embarrassed.

“Yep. I expect you’ll get quite a few visitors this week. Speaking of which, I’ll tell Arlo he can come back in now.” Lin smiled gratefully.

A moment later, Arlo was back by her side. He pulled up a chair next to Lin’s bed. “What’s the prognosis?”

“Two weeks for the cut to heal enough so I can work again.” Lin pouted. “And I have to stay here for a week so they can make sure I don’t develop an infection.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lin.” Arlo took her hand and squeezed it. “If only I’d gotten more injuries so I could stay up here with you and entertain you all day.”

Lin giggled. “That’s an awful thing to wish for.”

Arlo grinned. “I do have something for you. Might cheer you up.”

“Oh?” Lin lifted herself to sit up a little straighter in the bed. “I’m excited.”

Arlo reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small object out but kept it in his closed fist. To her surprise, he seemed a little hesitant. Was he _blushing_?

“This is maybe a little corny, but it’s a local tradition.” He opened his palm to reveal a necklace of spun red fiber. In its center was an intricate woven heart between two wooden beads. “Right. This is a heart knot. In this region, you give it to someone you want to start a romantic relationship with. If they accept, it seals the deal.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “So Lin... do you accept?”

She looked at him very seriously. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“Alright, well, don’t take too long. There’s a waiting list of girls who’d be grateful for this.”

Lin scoffed and then giggled. “Hey, that’s too true to be funny.” Arlo winked at her.

She broke into a beaming smile. “I accept.”

She bent down slightly and Arlo lowered the necklace over her head. She pulled her hair out from under it and adjusted the length to make it a bit shorter. “How does it look?”

“Lovely, though I made it so I don’t know if that’s a compliment to you or toward myself.”

Lin smiled, holding the heart knot lightly between her fingers. “How did you learn to make this?”

“I got some help from Alice at the flower shop. She makes and sells them. She asked all about us and found the whole thing to be incredibly romantic.”

Lin wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, Arlo,” she whispered. “I’ll wear it everywhere.”

He grinned. “Prepare yourself for a lot of questions. You know how Portians love to gossip.”

“Bring it on. I can’t wait to tell everyone that this came from their Civil Corps Captain.” Lin had a sudden thought. “Have you... ever given one to anyone else before?” She wasn’t totally sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

He laughed. “Sam, when we were children. It went about as well as you’d expect.”

“What, did she beat you up or something?”

He shook his head. “She took it and tried to give it to a girl.”

Lin laughed hard, then clutched at her injury, grimacing. “Oh my God, she didn’t. I’m totally going to give her a hard time about that later.”

“I probably shouldn’t have told you that. Now I _will_ get beaten up,” laughed Arlo.

She looked at him curiously. “So... there really weren’t any others?”

“No one I ever thought about giving a heart knot to,” he said. “I’ve been pretty intensely focused on training and work these past few years, as you know. Though...”

Lin perked up. “Tell me.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Arlo scratched the back of his neck. “Nora and I dated for a while, sort of casually.”

Her eyes widened. “Nora? From the _church_?”

“Yep, that one.”

“' _Sort of_?’”

“Hey, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Arlo placed a hand on Lin’s thigh.

“I’m not worried,” Lin said, a little defensively. “Just curious. It’s a good thing to know.”

He nodded. “It was casual for me. It was… less so, for her.” He looked at the floor.

“Oh.” Lin felt a little sorry for Nora.

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe you dated someone so into the church’s ideology,” Lin said. “That seems really unlike you.”

“Well, she’s much more reasonable about all of it than the minister, that’s for sure. But that was a big reason I couldn’t see us getting any more serious than we were. Anyway, she’s a good soul and I don’t think she has it in her to be unkind to you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Lin nodded. “I’m not worried. And she _is_ really cute, I get it.”

Arlo laughed. “I guess there are perks to being with a girl who’s also into girls.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “You don’t have to be bisexual to notice when people are attractive.”

“True that, I tell Remi how hot he is all the time,” Arlo grinned.

Lin burst out laughing. “Stop making me laugh, it hurts.”

He huffed. “Sorry. Well, what about you? Should I be worried about anyone from Barnarock coming to hunt me down?”

Lin laughed. “Nah. I’ve had a few flings here and there. No one really worth mentioning, to be honest.”

“Mmm. If you say so.”

“What?”

Arlo swung his legs onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “You expect me to believe someone as amazing as you has never been in a relationship before?”

“Stop it,” she buried her face in his chest, blushing. “I’m serious. I’ve just… never felt this way about anyone, so...”

“Me either,” Arlo whispered. He kissed the crown of her head, sending a trickling of warmth through Lin’s whole body. Lin lay against him, lightly tracing the heart knot that rested on her chest. She wondered what came next.


	10. Chapter 10

At first, Lin thoroughly enjoyed her surprise stretch of unanticipated free time. She spent her time at the clinic reading, catching up on workshop logs, and making plans for future projects. Soon, however, she started feeling claustrophobic and restless, unable to focus and eager to get back to working with her hands.

Fortunately, as Dr. Xu had predicted, the week was filled with visitors to alleviate the mind-numbing boredom. Sam and Emily stopped by several times. Emily brought flowers and delicious food from the farm, which they enjoyed while Sam and Lin recapped the events of Ingall’s Mine. Lin asked Sam about the childhood heart knot incident with Arlo, which made Sam blush uncharacteristically and Emily giggle until tears ran down her face. Then, Sam amused Lin with other stories about the shenanigans she and Arlo had gotten into during their childhood, which made Lin laugh so hard she was fairly sure she added another day to her recovery time. Others dropped by to visit too–Remington, Gale, Presley, Mint. She felt a bit awkward about the attention but appreciated it all the same.

Of course, the bright spot in her days were Arlo’s visits. Left with relatively minor scrapes and scratches from the mine, he returned to work as normal the following week and could only come to see Lin in the evenings. He entertained her with stories about his excursions in the hazardous ruins and patiently listened to her plans for the projects she was envisioning after her recovery. Sometimes, they just sat together in silence enjoying each others’ company. It was a strange way to start a new relationship, Lin thought--hanging out together at the doctor’s with random people in and out constantly.

It was primarily for privacy that she was grateful when the time finally came to leave the clinic, though not being able to work was incredibly frustrating. Her first day home, she spent a lot of time out in the yard, staring longingly at her furnaces. Still, she was grateful to feel the sun warming her face again after a week stuck indoors.

Later that evening she was reading in bed, waiting for Arlo to stop by after his patrols. The sun had almost set and her home was bathed in dim orange light. She was starting to get a little sleepy, the words on the page becoming difficult to focus on.

The door burst open and Arlo casually strolled in. Lin gasped and dropped her book onto the floor.

“Shit, hasn’t anyone ever taught you about knocking?” She leaned over to pick up the book, trying to find the page she was on to mark it for later.

“Sorry, thought we were past that stage.”

“You’ve never even been here before!” Lin laughed. She looked up at him, musing at the strangeness and improbability of having the Captain of the Civil Corps in her home.

“Hmm, you’re right.” Arlo took a look around, evaluating Lin’s little space. “Bright. Cozy. Organized. About what I’d expect from my bright, cozy, organized girl.” He leaned down to kiss her softly and a smile grew on her face. “How’s life outside the clinic?” He sat next to her on the bed.

“Still so, so boring.” Lin sighed, pulling herself upright. “It’s organized in here because there’s nothing left to organize, I’ve been in here all afternoon trying to keep myself occupied. The doctor talked to the Commerce Guild, so they won’t give me any commissions--even small ones!”

“Poor thing,” Arlo consoled her. Lin moved toward the wall and he kicked his legs up onto the bed. “Sorry, that sounded sarcastic, but I know how you feel. I’m the same every time I’m bedridden because of an injury. All you can think of is everything you could be doing.”

“Exactly,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Wait, how many times have you been bedridden because of injuries?”

He chuckled. “You probably don’t want to know. And anyway, I haven’t kept count for a while.”

“ _Yikes_.” She wrapped her arms around his bicep, snuggling into him.

Arlo closed his eyes, head lolling back to rest against the wall. He sighed, and the tension seemed to melt from his body. “You know, this has quickly become my favorite part of the day.”

Lin pulled back to look at him. His eyes were half-lidded and he was smiling softly; he really did look relaxed. “Yeah, why’s that?”

He turned to her, warm affection clear in his eyes. “I think you know why.”

She shook her head, looking at him earnestly. “Sorry, I’m clueless over here. Maybe you could... show me?”

Arlo smiled wider and leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. God, his lips were so soft. Lin reached up to grasp his shoulders as he kissed her, pulling herself closer to him. Their kiss was languorous and slow, taking time they couldn’t afford at the clinic. His hands found their way into her hair and then he was tracing his fingers down her neck. She moaned lightly at his touch and he broke apart from her. She looked up at him dazedly, her lips swollen and red. She was suddenly hyper-aware of the fact they were alone.

“Can I see how your injury's coming along?” Arlo asked.

Lin tilted her head, confused at the interruption and the non-sequitur. “Um, sure? It’s not a pretty sight, though.”

He scoffed. “I’ve had my fair share of stitched cuts.”

He gently tugged her shirt up to her ribcage, exposing the long, stitched-up slash on her midriff. The cut on her side was still bright red in contrast to her skin, but it was healing nicely with the help of Dr. Xu’s remedies.

“It’s definitely improving. You’re gonna have a pretty cool scar when it’s healed.”

“Well that’s a nice glass-half-full perspective about it.”

“Personally, I can't resist a woman with some battle scars.” He traced a hand down her exposed side, making her gasp. Instinctively, she arched her back slightly, muscles tensing. She looked up at him and saw his gaze darken.

He met her gaze and pulled his hand away. She made the tiniest whimper of disappointment. Arlo reached down and lowered her shirt to cover her stomach.

“Arlo?” She whispered.

“Yes, Lin?” He was watching her intently.

“I–” Lin blushed, looking away, unsure how to express what she wanted. She wanted _more_. More of his hands on her skin, more of his lips on hers, and more places where their bodies met.

“Not yet,” he said, understanding what her expression meant. “Sorry, but we've got to be careful.” His voice was low. He absently stroked her neck again, moving down to her shoulder. She met his gaze and saw his pupils were blown wide.

“I don't want to,” she murmured. Before she lost the nerve, she grabbed his bandana and pulled him to her. He moaned in surprise against her lips. She kissed him recklessly, her frustration and cabin fever spilling over into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt his hands dig into her hips.

He broke the kiss. “Lin,” he growled, “you’re back on thin ice.” He released her, leaving her hollow. He moved to a chair next to the bed and swiveled it to face her, watching her with amusement.

“Arlo!”

He smirked. “This is what you get if you can't control yourself.”

She gaped at him. “I don't understand.”

He moved closer, sitting on the edge of the chair. “I need you better first. All the way better.”

“Why?” This came out something like a whine, to her irritation.

He leaned in so their foreheads touched, and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I don't want to worry about this injury when I take you for the first time. And if you keep kissing me like that, that’s what will happen tonight.”

Lin made a small sound of surprise at his bluntness, arousal blooming in her core. “But…”

“No. As much as I want you, you know it’s a bad idea.”

She sighed, exasperated, feeling the heat of that statement washing over her. _As much as I want you._

“Fine.” She looked away from him, irritated.  

“Don’t be upset, darling.” He brushed his fingers tenderly through her hair. “I’ve given this plenty of thought over the past few months. The things I want to do with you.”

Suddenly, Lin was too hot. Feverish. She forced herself to meet his gaze like it was a challenge. “Tell me about them.”

His eyes widened, clearly not expecting this response. And then he was back in control. “Are you sure? I don’t want to frustrate you unnecessarily.” He smirked. Clearly, he didn’t mind too much.

Lin narrowed her eyes, leaning in closer. “Yes.”

“Well the thing is, I don't want to have to hold back.” He moved to whisper into her ear. “The way I imagine it, when we're finished, I’ll have you spent. Sore in the right ways. Voice a little hoarse, maybe. Marked.”

Lin shuddered, feeling suddenly weak.

“I think you’re tough enough to handle that, yeah? Does that sound like something you want?”

She nodded, breathless, heart pounding.

“Good. Because I don't want to be gentle with you, love. Not the first time.”

“Arlo…” she breathed. He had to know what this was doing to her. He pulled back to look at her, and it was clear he did. Took pleasure in it, even. Somehow, that was incredibly hot, if infuriating.

He took her hands. “The second time, though… well, we can take that a little slower.” His thumbs drew slow circles on her palms and she had no idea that such a tiny gesture could send such hot electric sensations through her. He looked into her eyes. “Kiss everything better.”

A light moan slipped from Lin’s lips. She closed her eyes, focusing only on his words.

“I want to learn how you taste, find out where to touch you. Figure out what makes you moan. I'm a quick study. For example, me talking about this right now has you wet for me, doesn't it?”

She gasped and opened her eyes. She blushed harder and squeezed her thighs together.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, darling. A little anticipation and sex are like salt in cooking. Makes it better.” He stood, releasing her hands.

“Arlo, are you really going to leave me like this?” She looked up at him, eyes pleading.

“As much as I would _love_ to help you out, I can hardly get back into bed with you now, can I?” He leaned down to give her a quick kiss. She tried to draw him in deeper, but he pulled back.

“Don't worry, Lin. You'll find out soon what happens when you break the ice.”


	11. Chapter 11

Lin was wired and on edge. With little else to occupy her time, she kept running the conversation with Arlo over in her mind. Of course, it’s not like she’d never thought about sex with him before. She'd even had several intense dreams about being with him from which she woke up feeling a strange mix of sadness and arousal. But until just a few days ago, she had been pretty sure they would never be together, so she'd done her best to shove those thoughts deep below the surface of her mind where they couldn't hurt her. And it’s not like Dr. Xu’s clinic was a place where any intimacy would be possible or desirable, so her mind hadn’t strayed too far during her stay there either.

Their recent conversation brought all of her fantasies back to the forefront. She wanted him desperately, _craved_ him, but she was deeply anxious as well. She admired him so much, especially the way he always seemed to keep it together. The thought of falling apart in front of him, vulnerable and exposed, was somehow frightening. Also, he seemed to have high expectations about their first time together and she was hoping she could satisfy them. Satisfy _him_. He could be so intense and she just wanted to match that intensity.

Arlo's visits in those last few days were somewhat strained–admittedly, in a very different and much more pleasant way than interactions between them had been strained in the past. They talked and laughed about the same sort of things as usual, but he maintained a marked physical distance that neither of them addressed. Occasionally, he would catch her looking at him and she would blush. He would give her a small, secret smile that said he knew exactly what was on her mind.

Arlo took a rare day off when she was scheduled to have her stitches removed by Dr. Xu, promising to meet her at the clinic so they could spend the day together. The procedure was blessedly quick and not too painful. Afterward, Lin was a ball of nervous energy as she waited for him, gripping her backpack strap with white knuckles and bouncing her leg in agitation as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed. A bottle of pills rattled lightly inside her backpack. Earlier, she’d had a conversation with Phyllis about birth control. Phyllis, ever the professional, procured a bottle of small green capsules and ensured that Lin didn’t have questions or concerns about sex. Lin was somewhat embarrassed but highly appreciative. At least this was one thing she didn’t have to worry about.

Finally, the door opened and Arlo stepped in, radiant as always. To her pleasant surprise, he was wearing a plain white t-shirt that showed off his muscles and a pair of jeans. She’d never seen him in jeans before, but certainly hoped she would again. Of course, his signature Flying Pigs bandana was tied around his neck as usual. He was smiling warmly at her and her heart sped up.

“Hi,” she said a little shyly.

He moved to her and captured her in his arms, looking down at her expectantly. “Well?”

“I’m good to go,” she said, returning his smile.

He swooped in to kiss her. After the intentional distance of the last few days, his lips felt heavenly. He broke free far too soon. “Are you hungry? I thought we might get something in town and go for a walk. I know you’ve been stir-crazy.”

She felt a rush of relief, half-expecting him to whisk her back to her house immediately. “Yes, please!”

He grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “It’s a date, then.”

They went into town like this, hand-in-hand and smiling. Lin was wearing her heart knot and it bounced lightly against her chest as they walked, reminding her of its presence. She noticed a few double-takes from various townspeople and couldn’t help but swell with a bit of pride.

The two got baguettes and coffee in Central Plaza and ate on a bench under the Wishing Tree, laughing at some of the reactions they’d gotten.

“Sonia looked like she was going to murder me,” Lin said quietly, giggling.

Arlo chuckled. “Albert just seemed disappointed. I think he’s trying to cross all the Portia women off his list and I’ve just ruined his plans.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer.

“At least we have Alice on our team,” said Lin. “Her reaction is enough to make up for the others.” Alice had squealed when she saw Lin wearing the heart knot and run up to hug them both, gushing about how happy she was for them.  

“Bless her,” Arlo agreed. He ripped a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth.

Lin was silently grateful that the Church of the Light wasn’t in town today. There was enough to think about without worrying about Nora’s reaction.

After they finished eating, they took a leisurely stroll to Amber Island. Being out of bed and able to stretch her legs felt amazing. With Arlo next to her and a renewed gratefulness for Portia’s beauty, everything took on a unique, lucid quality. Summer had begun to fade into autumn, and everything looked and felt golden. The sun in Arlo’s hair, the sparkling yellow leaves, the daylight on her skin. She watched him, loose and free beside her, taking a mental snapshot of this moment.

In a burst of energy, Lin ran ahead of Arlo, looking back over her shoulder at him and grinning. He was momentarily bewildered before taking off after her. When he caught up, he tackled her to the ground and they tumbled across the grass, laughing breathlessly. When they stopped, he was above her on hands and knees.

“Gotcha,” he smirked. And then he swooped down and his lips met hers.

Arlo kissed her deeply, all reservation finally gone. She wasn’t injured and they were _together_ and they were completely alone at last. Lin returned the kiss with fervor, wrapping her arms around him to cling to the muscles of his back, feeling them shift under his shirt as he held himself up above her. He moved to kiss her neck and she moaned lightly. She felt him grind his hips against her in response.

He pulled away to look at her, eyes dark. “Lin, I want to take you home.”

All of the anxiety that had melted away throughout the day exploded to life in her chest. She met his gaze with wide eyes like a trapped animal. “Can we… can we stay here a while longer?”

He seemed a little surprised. “Of course. Today’s your day.” He rolled off of her and lay on his side with his head propped up on one hand. “Is everything alright?”

She turned onto her side to face him. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Talk to me, love,” he implored gently, resting a hand on the curve of her hip.

She bit her lip. “I’m just… nervous, I guess.”

His eyes widened in understanding. “Nervous about sex?”

She gave a small nod. “This has all happened so fast with you, plus it’s… I just feel like you have a really specific way you want this to go, and I just want it to be as good for you as you imagined. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“Oh, Lin. Listen.” He looked intently into her eyes. “First of all, there’s no rush for any of that. We can just spend the day together if you’d like. I just want to be with you.” He lifted a hand to smooth down her hair, and she leaned into his touch.

“Second, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression or got ahead of myself with all this. This isn’t a performance, this is just about us being together in a new way.” He pulled her closer, voice low. “It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be, ‘cause that’s just life.” He traced a hand down her side, making her shiver. “I want you to be honest and tell me what you like and what you don’t, and I’ll do the same.”

Lin nodded, feeling some of her anxiety abate.

Arlo smiled softly at her. “It’s hot because it’s _you,_ Lin. And anyway, if I have my way, we’ll have lots of opportunities to perfect our craft.” Lin laughed, blushing.

“Arlo, I... have a confession.” She let the words spill out before she changed her mind.

He watched her, curious. “Go on.”

“I’ve never been with a man before.” She watched closely for his reaction. “Only women.”

His eyes widened in genuine surprise.

“I mean, I’m not a _virgin,_ ” she added quickly. “I don’t think we’ll have any complete first-timer issues. I know the general mechanics. Obviously. But… I still feel a little out of my element”

“Well that’s alright,” he said, stroking a hand along her arm, goosebumps rising on her skin. “Nothing to worry about, darling. I’d be happy to take the lead, if that’s okay with you.” She was close enough to see his pupils dilate. Lin felt a building heat in her stomach.

“I would really like that,” she whispered.

He smirked slightly. “I suspected you might.”

Lin swallowed. “Don’t you ever get tired of being in charge all the time?”

His smirk grew wider. “In general? Certainly. In bed with you? Hell no.”

She felt a wave of heat wash over her. Her heart was pounding. She looked into his bright blue eyes and inhaled a steadying breath. “Okay then, let’s go home.”

He leaned forward to kiss her quickly. They rose to their feet and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close as they made their way across the bridge and up the path toward the workshop.

 

* * *

 

Lin closed the workshop door behind her. “Do you want a–”

Arlo spun her around and slammed her against the door, fingers digging into her waist. Lin made a muffled sound of surprise against his lips that quickly transformed into a moan. She tangled her fingers in his hair as he kissed her possessively.

“I’m good, thanks,” he murmured, and he moved to kiss her neck. Lin gasped as the softness of his lips on the erogenous zone sent a current of warmth directly between her legs. He sucked on her skin eagerly, leaving small bruises that would surely be visible later. Lin remembered his desire to leave her marked and felt a surge of need for it.

“More, Arlo. Please.”

Arlo lightly nipped at her neck with his teeth and she moaned, head lolling back against the wooden door. “Like that?”

“Yes,” she hissed.

He pulled away to look at her. “Do you like when it hurts a little, Lin?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded, breathless with lust. There was something deeply erotic about trusting this powerful man with that kind of control over her body. She wanted all the sensation he could give her, painful or pleasurable or both.

He groaned in approval and leaned in to bite her bottom lip gently. “Good.”

Using his body to keep her pressed against the door, he took both of her wrists in one hand, raising them over her head. With his other hand, he took a handful of Lin’s hair and tugged a bit roughly, tilting her head back to expose more of her neck to him. He bit her a little harder and a surge of pain blossomed deliciously. She let out a whimper, and instead of relenting, he sunk his teeth into the same spot, lingering. She rocked her pelvis against him eagerly.

“I can’t believe I get to have you like this,” Arlo murmured against her skin.

Suddenly she found herself scooped up in his arms. The sensation was vaguely familiar from when he’d carried her after her injury. He dropped her on the bed and climbed on top of her, kissing her hard. She loved the warmth of his body and the sensation of him pressing down on her, overwhelming her. Seeking more of his warmth, she moved her hands underneath his shirt, gripping his hard, muscular back. She scratched him lightly with her nails and he sucked a sharp breath through his teeth.

“Let’s get some of these clothes off.” Arlo sat up and quickly pulled off his own shirt, tossing it aside. Lin sat up as well, raising her arms. He removed her shirt with intentional slowness, hands grazing her sides as he took her in, making her shiver. He moved closer and reached his hands around her back to unclasp her bra with surprising efficiency.

“Nice work,” Lin giggled. She looked up at him, exposed and a little shy.

“Come here,” Arlo growled.

Lin climbed into Arlo’s lap, straddling him. For the first time, she felt his hardness through his jeans. _So far so good,_ she thought. He ran his hands up and down her sides, raising goosebumps on her skin.

“You are fucking beautiful,” he whispered. She stared at him, awed. His compliment sent ripples of pleasure and heat dancing through Lin’s body.

He took one of her breasts in his hand, running a thumb lightly over the nipple. Lin gasped a breath, head tilting back.

“So perfect,” Arlo breathed. “I love the way you respond to me.”

He leaned forward and ran his tongue over the other breast, his saliva cold on her sensitive skin. Lin whined, the sensation pure and sweet like sugar in her body. Arlo grazed his teeth over her nipple and she cried out, muscles tensing.

He pulled back, looking into her glazed eyes to check her reaction.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Keep going.”

He lowered his mouth to her and bit her nipple again, gripping her hips to pull her against him. She whimpered at the sharp sensation, rotating her hips rhythmically on his erection. He relented, moving to suck little circles around her breasts, moving to her clavicle and up to her collarbone.

He pulled away. “Lie down.”

Lin complied eagerly, wriggling off him. Looking into her eyes, he reached forward and unbuttoned her jeans. _Oh,_ Lin thought. _This is happening._ He unzipped them and raised herself up slightly so he could yank them off.

He stroked a hand from her calf up to her bare thigh, dangerously close to the place she really wanted him to touch. She lifted her hips eagerly upwards. Arlo chuckled and traced a line along the edge of her black panties, making her jerk instinctively.

“Oh, Lin. Already so wet for me. I haven’t even touched you yet.”

Arlo gripped her thighs in his hands, pulling them apart. He leaned down to her stomach and trailed a string of hot kisses down her new pink scar before moving down until his mouth was just above her panty line. She bucked upwards, needing him lower, lower, lower.

“Please, Arlo.”

“Please, what?” He looked up at her, eyes narrowed.

“I… I want–”

“I want to hear you say it. Tell me what you want, Lin.”

“I want to feel your mouth on me,” she whined. “Your tongue.”

“Where?”

“My–my pussy.” Lin was sure she was already flushed enough that her blush made no visible difference in that moment.

Arlo moaned low in his throat. “Good girl.”

He moved to swipe his tongue along her pussy through the wet fabric of her panties. She cried out, writhing against him. He hooked his hands around the backs of her thighs and dove down, pressing his mouth around her clit, sucking her through the material. She jerked her hips as she felt the pressure of his mouth on the hypersensitive spot and he held her thighs tightly to steady her.

After several moments of this, he lifted himself off of her. She whimpered in disappointment.

Arlo chuckled. “Hush, love. Have some patience.”

Before she realized what was happening, his hands were gripping her panties and they were pulled off and she was completely naked beneath him. The air felt cold on her wet, sensitive pussy. She looked up at him expectantly, lips parted.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, Lin.” He bent down to kiss her passionately. Their mouths moved together in rhythm with their bodies.

He moved back down between her legs, using his fingers to spread her folds gently. Lin’s feeling of exposure intensified. “So pretty,” he said softly. He blew a soft puff of air on her and she bucked upwards with a surprised exhalation.

Arlo traced another tantalizing line down her inner thigh, coming close and then pulling away.

“Don’t tease me so much,” Lin moaned.

He simply smirked and watched her as he slid two fingers between her wet folds. She writhed against his hand. He moved his fingers up to circle her clit and she arched her back, eyes closing tightly.

Arlo leaned in and took a tentative lick of her pussy, holding her down to control the inevitable bucking of her hips. He pressed his tongue against her and slipped his fingers to her entrance, teasing around the edges before sliding them inside her. She threw her head back, eyes clamped shut, rocking against him and crying out wordlessly. He fucked her this way, curling his fingers to brush against her g-spot. She saw sparks on the backs of her eyelids as he worked his tongue and fingers, the pleasure branching off from her pussy into her whole body.

“Arlo–I’m gonna, I’m close,” she gasped.

Arlo took his mouth away but kept pumping his fingers into her, moving his thumb to circle her clit. He moved to speak directly into Lin’s ear in a low voice.

“Just look at you. Soaking wet, hair a mess, spread wide open.”

He reached his free hand to tangle in her hair, pulling tightly. “Look at me while I touch you, Lin. I love seeing you like this. Hearing you fall apart. All for me.”

Lin was far beyond a coherent response, but his words sent lust and pleasure coursing through her like a blazing fire. If he kept it up, surely she would combust.

“You would let me do anything to you right now, wouldn’t you? I could take you however I wanted. Make you mine.”

“Please do,” Lin moaned.

“I think I will.” Arlo withdrew his fingers and Lin felt she might cry in frustration.

He sat up, fumbling to unbuckle his belt. In a daze, Lin moved to a sitting position as well, reaching out to help unbutton his jeans. He let her, eyes half-lidded with desire. She pulled the zipper down, feeling his cock straining against the fabric. She traced her fingers down the denim, making him groan. He stood and shrugged his jeans off. He watched her reaction closely as he removed his boxers, erection springing free.

“Oh,” Lin breathed, lips parted. She didn’t have much frame of reference for male genitalia, but his cock looked _thick_. She shivered, aching for it.

Arlo grabbed her hands and sat on the bed against the wall, pulling her on top to straddle him again. His hands were everywhere–on her waist and her hips and her ass. She kissed his lips red, sucked on his neck and his shoulders, moving down to the sharpness of his collarbone, ran her hands up and down his chest, through the light scattering of hair there. Lin undulated her pussy against his ready cock and he gasped, fingers digging into her hips. She did this again and again, grinding her clit against him until he stopped her, strong grip holding her in place.

“Lin. I need to fuck you now.”

“Please, Arlo, I want you inside me.”

“Like this,” he said. “Lift yourself up a bit.”

She obliged, and he used a hand to position himself at her entrance. Lin lowered herself onto him slowly, savoring the novel fullness of his cock inside her. Arlo groaned low in his throat at the feeling of sinking into her.

“Yes, Lin,” Arlo encouraged her. “Take it all in. That’s my good girl.”

A renewed wave of desire washed over her at his words. Lin wrapped her arms around his shoulders and experimentally rocked herself on him. She moaned at the stretch of him and at the friction of her clit as it rubbed against his pelvis.

“Just like that. You feel so good around me,” he gasped.  

She raised and lowered herself again and he rested his head against the wall, watching her with glazed eyes. She increased her pace, riding him as he used his grip to guide her movements, moaning along with her at the heady pleasure. Her pace increased and she dug her nails into him, leaving little red half-moons on his skin. They moved against each other, panting and sweating, hot skin on hot skin.

Suddenly Arlo rolled her onto her back, hooking his arms around her thighs to take complete control. Lin wailed as he plunged deeper into her. He fucked her recklessly, aggressively. She cried out and panted as he took her. It was too much, but she didn’t want him to stop, she never wanted him to stop.

“Arlo, I’m about to come,” she panted.

“Good, Lin. Come for me now, darling. I want to see you let go.”

He moved one hand to her clit to help her along and she lost it, the walls of her vagina clamping around him as she shook and shuddered, wailing, rocking up onto his cock as he fucked her through the peak of her pleasure.

The contractions of her muscles and watching Lin come had Arlo close to the edge himself. Lin looked up at him, breath heavy as she continued moving against him.

“Lin,” he breathed.

“Please, Arlo,” she begged. “Don’t hold back. Give me everything. I’m yours, I’m all yours.”

He cried out, voice breaking as he found his release inside her. He shuddered, hands digging new bruises into her skin, eyes clamping tight. He breathed heavily as he came down from the high, arms aching slightly from the effort of holding himself above her. For a moment, he just hovered there.

Arlo pulled out and Lin gasped one final time at the feeling of his cum seeping out of her. She would remember to have a towel next to the bed next time. Arlo collapsed to the side, taking her in his arms and leisurely kissing this practicality out of her head. She wrapped her arms around him in return, enjoying the warmth of their skin pressed together. They lay together silently for a few minutes, catching their breath.

He smiled affectionately at her. “Disregard anything I may have said about improving our craft, I think we’ve got this one down.”

She returned his smile. “So that was okay?”

“ _Okay?!_ Dear God, Lin.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “That was incredible.” He gently kissed a bruise on her neck. “You are incredible.”

She snuggled against him. “That was so good I think it broke my brain.”

“Sorry about that. It’s known to happen from time to time with me, can’t be helped.”

Lin giggled. “Sorry I didn’t, uh, pay you as much personal attention as you gave me.”

“Please don’t apologize for any part of what just happened. I wanted to take care of you today. We’ll have lots of opportunity for other things later.”

“Mmm, I look forward to it.” She rocked against him lightly.

“Lin, you absolute vixen.” Lin shot him a coy look. “I look forward to showing you the ropes. I already know you’re a dedicated student.”

“Only because I have a crush on my teacher,” she laughed.

“Well teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but you’re definitely mine.” Arlo kissed her on the forehead. They lay in silence for a moment, each taking in the presence of the other in the calm and quiet aftermath of sex.

“Arlo?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Arlo looked down at the exhausted woman lying next to him, content and relaxed, bare and vulnerable and affectionate. Unbidden, thoughts of the Flying Pigs and moving to Lucien sprang to his mind, and his heart broke. He held her a little closer.

“I love you too, Lin.”


	12. Chapter 12

Lin awoke feeling unbearably warm, her hair damp with sweat. In her half-asleep state, she tried to roll off the bed, intending to go crack open a window. Instead, she found herself restrained. Blinking her eyes open, she turned to see Arlo watching her blearily. With a soft smile, he pulled her a little closer.

"And where do you think you're going?" Arlo's voice was broken by sleepiness in a way Lin found endearing.

The previous night came back to her in mixed-up images of tangled bodies and the memory of heady pleasure. A thrill ran up her spine. Arlo was here. In her bed. _Her_ Arlo. She smiled back, taking him in.

"I need to open a window or I'm going to catch fire, I'm so hot."

"That you are." Arlo ran a hand over Lin's bare hip. She gasped and arched into him slightly, then pulled away.

"Seriously, Arlo, you're like a furnace."

Arlo scoffed and loosened his hold on her. "Fine. Better come right back, though."

Lin kissed him on the cheek and rolled off the bed. Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise, tinging the sky with dramatic orange and pink streaks. Worn out from all of their activities, they had crashed pretty early last night, which was a good thing for her sleep schedule. She jerked one of the old wooden windows open, sighing with relief at the sensation of the breeze blowing across her warm skin. She went to the kitchen and filled two glasses of water, guzzling hers down before she even got back to bed.

Arlo pulled himself into a reclining position. "Wait, wait. Stay there for a sec."

Lin froze. She stood there holding one empty glass and one full of water. She tilted her head, watching him. "Um...?"

"Just enjoying the view." Arlo smirked.

Lin blushed, shaking her head and breaking into a grin. She climbed back into bed, offering him the water, which he took and gulped down quickly. He reached over Lin to set it on the bedside table, then pulled her against him once more, capturing her lips in a lazy, sensual kiss. He ran a hand up and down her back and she hummed against his lips in satisfaction.

"I think we've got a few hours before my patrols, darling." He moved his hand to her waist, gripping her firmly and grinding his hips against her so she could feel his growing hardness. Lin moaned softly, heat already pooling between her legs.

Lin was about to respond enthusiastically when both of them were distracted by a strange mechanical noise outside. It was the sound of something far off but moving quickly closer. Lin couldn't immediately identify it but it sounded familiar, something like the relic engines she worked with.

"Oh, fuck." Arlo bolted upright. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping his scalp. "Shit."

Arlo's response startled Lin wide awake. "What? Is everything okay?"

"Uhh, yeah. But I've got to go." Arlo leaped out of bed, earlier plans forgotten. He began tugging on his clothes, which were haphazardly scattered on the floor around them.

Lin watched him, concerned. "Can I do anything?"

Arlo whirled towards her and froze for a moment. He seemed to come to a conclusion and grabbed her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Actually, yes. Can you get dressed and meet me in about twenty minutes on the field outside Central Plaza?"

"O--okay," Lin said, flustered.

He leaned in and kissed her quickly before turning towards the door, tying his bandana around his neck as he went. "Thanks. There's someone I want you to meet."

Lin's eyes widened. She was in neither the physical nor mental state to meet anyone right now. Before she could say anything else, Arlo took off, slamming the door shut behind him. She winced at the sound.

Her thoughts raced as she pulled on her own clothes. Who could he want her to meet so urgently? Both of his parents had passed away, and he had never mentioned a sibling. Though perhaps it just hadn't come up. Maybe an aunt or uncle? Regardless, she would have to ask him later if he had any other relatives.

Lin splashed some cold water on her face and brushed her teeth before wrapping her messy hair up in a tight bun. Horrified, she realized her neck was covered in bruises from Arlo. Bruises she'd specifically asked for. Cursing herself, she took a long knitted scarf off of a hook and wrapped it around herself. Thank God it was chilly enough for this to be reasonable attire.

She rushed out of the house. It was another gorgeous fall day and Lin took a moment to inhale, appreciating the dew sparkling on the grass under early morning light. As she turned toward the field, she saw a huge machine in the distance. An airplane! Of course. That was the sound they'd heard. Anxiety danced in her chest and she forced herself to keep walking forward.

 

* * *

 

Arlo moved briskly across the damp grass, trying to pull his thoughts together. This was the last thing he expected or wanted this morning. He thought he'd have more time to prepare for this.

He had come outside just in time to see the plane land gracefully and roll a short distance across the fields before braking to a halt. He watched a familiar figure climb out of the pilot’s seat and perform a few stretches. She turned and saw him, greeting him with a far-away wave, which he returned. When he was a few feet away, she jogged up and met him with a fierce hug.

"Arlo! Good to see you."

He couldn't help but smile as he returned the embrace. "Mali. You too, as always."

She pulled away, clapping him on the back. "How have you been? It's been a while, I'm sorry. Things have been so busy at headquarters."

"I'm well. We've been pretty busy here too, if you can believe it. Quiet Portia has been a little less than quiet lately."

She chuckled. "So I've heard."

"Well, what brings you here? I haven't gotten any letters or telegraphs."

Mali grinned and gave him a gentle shove. "I came to help you get ready for the trials, obviously!"

The blood drained from Arlo's face. This was exactly what he feared, why he had rushed out of Lin’s house at a _very_ inopportune moment to intercept Mali before she came looking for him. He opened his mouth, but she interrupted.

"Okay, actually, the guild requested someone to come here and investigate the local ruins after the incident with the AI in the Eufaula desert. I volunteered so we could kill two birds with one stone."

Arlo exhaled. At least she hadn't come here solely to help him with the Flying Pigs test. Still, she wasn't going to be happy with him.

"Mali, about that."

Just then, Arlo felt a presence at his side. He turned to see Lin, fully awake and rosy-cheeked, bundled up in a cozy-looking knitted scarf and sweater. God, she was cute. He felt a vague desire to be enveloped in her warmth. He pushed the thought aside for later.

"Hi." She looked up at him, then turned to Mali with a hesitant smile.

"Who's this?” Mali placed a hand on her hip, appraising Lin with a friendly gaze. "New recruit?"

Arlo chuckled. "Unfortunately no, though I've tried." He wrapped a reassuring arm around Lin's waist. "This is my girlfriend, Lin."

 

* * *

 

Lin felt a wave of pleasure wash over her, momentarily overriding her anxiety. It was the first time Arlo had introduced her as his girlfriend, and hearing the word from his lips filled her with joy and pride.

Mali's eyes widened. She reached forward to shake Lin's hand. Lin took her grip with what she hoped was a strong handshake, briefly recalling a similar effort when she met Arlo for the first time. Mali looked her over, expression unreadable. She wasn’t hostile, but she certainly wasn’t exuding warmth either. Lin’s good feelings ebbed away until she was left with a coil of something dark in her gut.

Arlo spoke up. "Lin, Mali's an old family friend. She trained under my dad and she's been helping me prepare for the Flying Pigs entrance exam."

Lin gave the woman an appraising look of her own. She couldn't have been much older than Arlo. She was a statuesque beauty, tall and strong, her short dark hair accented with blue and green streaks. This is who Arlo was working with for the test? The thing in her stomach coiled tighter.

She forced her lips into what she hoped was a friendly smile. "Great to meet you! You're really in the Flying Pigs?"

Mali gave her a half-smile in return. "Yep. Best group of fun-loving adventurers in the Free Cities, in my completely unbiased opinion."

"Lin's a builder," Arlo offered. "She was working on the Eufaula Tunnel before the incident. She was also there when it happened. She was the one who took out the digger AI."

“Not alone,” Lin added quickly.

"Hmm, not your typical builder, then. Nice." Mali smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Thanks," Lin replied, unsure what she meant. What was going on here?

"Anyway, Lin, you can get back to what you were doing. Just thought the two of you should get acquainted," Arlo said, clearly dismissing her. Lin was irritated--couldn't this have waited until later when she was a fully-realized human being, ready for the day?

She made sure to show none of her feelings outwardly. "Great. Mali, I'm sure I'll see you around."

Mali nodded at her. "Likewise."

Lin turned back toward the workshop, grateful she could at least sleep for another hour or two.  
  


* * *

  
Arlo watched Lin go, feeling guilty. In a moment of panic, he'd wanted her there for moral support. Mali's reaction told him this had been a bad idea, and he decided he didn't want to subject Lin to the talk ahead after all. He knew Mali too well. Her bluntness meant she would either be directly antagonistic to Lin, who most certainly didn't deserve it, or she would simply pull him aside for a private conversation later.

When Lin was out of earshot, Mali stepped forward. "Arlo, what the hell is this?"

Arlo crossed his arms. "Look, Mali--"

"What are you doing getting involved with some girl now with the trials in just a few weeks? We've talked about this."

His expression darkened. "She's not ' _some girl_.'"

Mali waved a hand dismissively and rolled her eyes. "Please, Arlo."

"I'm serious," he growled.

"We haven't been training for the last year so you could get distracted right as you're coming up on the finish line."

"I'm not taking the test this autumn."

Mali's jaw dropped. "You're what?"

"I'm pushing it to the spring. I… need more training."  

"You're ready now," Mali said through gritted teeth.

Arlo sighed, massaging his temples. "I want more time to prepare and I… want more time with her."  

Mali spun around, hand pressed to her forehead. "I can't believe this," she mumbled. She walked away a few steps, then whirled to face him. "After all the work we've put in! After all of the personal time and effort I've spent coming here to help you, you're just giving up?"

"The hell, Mali? I'm not." Arlo's muscles were tense, his hands unconsciously balled into fists. "Since when is taking a few extra months the same as giving up?"

"Since I'm telling you that you're basically a shoo-in for your dream job and you're putting it off."

Arlo clamped his eyes shut, shaking his head. "No. It's not like that."

"Then what is it like? What are you hoping to accomplish?"

Arlo sighed. "I… was hoping that if we had more time, we could find a way to make it work when I'm in the guild."

Mali's eyes softened. She placed a hand on Arlo's shoulder. "If you’re delaying this now, what’s to stop you from doing it again in the spring, and again after that? Until one day you wake up and you’re married with a couple of kids and you realize you spent your life in the same little town you grew up in. You know a serious relationship is basically impossible when you're in the guild. Think about your dad."

He jerked away from her. "I don't want to talk about my dad."

"Sorry," she said, raising her hands defensively. "I'm sorry."

"It is what it is, Mali," he said. "I've already made my choice, and it's final. I'm taking the exam in the spring, and you can help me train or not. I'll meet you later at the headquarters to discuss your investigation."

“I can’t promise this won’t hurt your chances.”

Arlo clenched his jaw. “So be it.”

 

* * *

 

Lin was curled up in her armchair with a mug of coffee, having given up on getting any more sleep. She hoped Arlo would come back before his patrols. The spell of the previous night and the morning had been broken by that jarring conversation and she felt strangely hollow. She craved just a few moments more with him to soothe her troubled thoughts.

Her door opened sooner than she anticipated. She looked up expectantly, expression falling when she saw him. His face was mostly impassive, but his body language told a different story. He was tense. Angry, perhaps. Lin felt a rush of concern.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” he said stiffly. He looked around for his holsters. Spotting them near the door, he began buckling them on.

Lin went to the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee. Strong and black, the way he liked it. She went over to him and touched his arm with a gentle hand, offering the warm mug. He looked at her, face softening into tenderness. He took the coffee.

“Thank you.”

“Won’t you stay for a bit? You still have some time.”

Arlo sighed. “Of course.”

He moved to her couch, inviting her to sit. Lin snuggled up next to him, her own coffee in hand, enjoying his casual presence in her home in spite of the strange morning.

She looked up at him. “You… don't seem okay.”

“It's nothing you need to worry about,” he said.

“And yet here I am, worrying about it. And I’ll worry more if you don't tell me what it is.”

He sighed again. “Mali is really not happy I'm not taking the Flying Pigs test this fall.”

“Oh.” Lin felt a twist of guilt. She looked down, unsure what to say. “Is she… still going to help you train?”

“She will. She'll get over it.”

“Are you sure that delaying the test is still a good idea?”

Arlo traced two fingers under Lin's jaw and tilted her face up to look at him. His gaze was intense.

“More than ever,” he murmured. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, lingering for a moment, leaving her momentarily breathless.

Lin exhaled. “You know I'll support you regardless.”

He regarded her affectionately. “I know, love. I'm telling you, don't worry about it.”

“Okay,” Lin said, but the feeling of guilt didn't abate.

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their coffee.

“How long have you known Mali?” Lin asked quietly.

“Since I was a young teenager. She lived and trained here for a few years and then moved to Lucien to join the Corps there before she got into the Flying Pigs. My dad sort of took her under his wing, she doesn’t have any family of her own. I got to know her pretty well when I was growing up.”

“Hmm. She seems really strong.”

“Oh, she’s incredible.” Arlo’s eyes lit up. “You should see her in action. I’ve seen her take on ten AIs at once and come out with barely a scratch.”

Jealousy flared in Lin’s chest, surprising her with its intensity. “Must have taken a lot of training.”

“For sure. She’s one of the most dedicated people I’ve ever met. Naturally gifted, too. Having her help me out has been invaluable.”

Lin didn’t know how to respond to that. She was doing her best to swallow her envy, but it was hard.

“She can be a bit… standoffish at first. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you.”

“It’s fine,” Lin mumbled.

“I was going to tell her about my change of plans, I didn’t expect her to show up so soon.”

_Clearly,_ Lin thought.

“She’s helping with an investigation of the Eufaula Tunnel and some other ruins,” Arlo continued. “That’s why she’s here now.”

Lin nodded. “I’m glad you’re getting some extra help, the Corps is really stretched thin right now.”

“You’re telling me.” He elbowed her. “If only we could find some qualified new recruits.”

Lin rolled her eyes, grinning in spite of herself. “We’ve talked about this and you know how I feel. Though I think I should be considered an honorary Civil Corps officer at this point, at least.”

“Consider it done, Officer Lin.”

“Great. What are my responsibilities as an honorary member?”

“You occasionally get to do some fun stuff, like fighting big robots, and you can skip the boring parts like patrolling and digging around for power stones in the ruins.”

“Good, I do enough of that as it is.”

Arlo chuckled. “I’ve got to go and do some of that boring stuff now. See you tonight?”

“I’ll be here,” she said.

“Best be. We can pick up where we left off earlier.” He smirked and kissed Lin on the cheek, grabbed his bag, and was out the door before Lin could formulate a response.


End file.
